Sports betting is an activity that can bring both joy and disappointment to bettors. While some bettors lose more often than they win, there are a few who have hit it big and walked away with massive payouts. Here are some of the biggest wins in sports betting history, along with the stories behind them.
- Mick Gibbs – £500,000 on a 15-Leg Accumulator Bet
In 2001, a roofer named Mick Gibbs from Staffordshire, England, placed a £2 bet on a 15-leg accumulator bet. An accumulator bet is a type of bet that combines several individual bets into one larger bet, with the winnings from each bet rolling over to the next bet. Gibbs’ bet included a mix of soccer and horse racing events, and he needed all 15 legs to come in to win.
Against all odds, Gibbs’ bet came in, and he walked away with a payout of £500,000, or over $700,000 USD. Gibbs later revealed that he had no idea how much his bet would pay out until he went to collect his winnings at the bookmaker’s office.
- Billy Walters – $3.5 Million on Super Bowl XLIV
Billy Walters is a legendary sports bettor from the United States who is known for his ability to consistently beat the odds and win big. In 2010, Walters placed a $3.5 million bet on the New Orleans Saints to win Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints were underdogs going into the game, but they ended up winning 31-17, earning Walters a payout of $6.5 million.
Walters’ success as a sports bettor is attributed to his analytical approach and deep knowledge of sports and betting markets. He was eventually sentenced to five years in prison for insider trading, but his reputation as one of the greatest sports bettors of all time remains intact.
- Anonymous Bettor – $13 Million on Tiger Woods’ 2019 Masters Win
In 2019, Tiger Woods won the Masters golf tournament, his first major championship win in over a decade. One lucky bettor, who chose to remain anonymous, placed an $85,000 bet on Woods to win at 14-1 odds. When Woods won, the bettor walked away with a payout of $1.19 million.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. The same bettor had also placed a $100,000 bet on Woods to win all four major championships in 2019, at odds of 100-1. When Woods won the Masters, the odds on him winning all four majors dropped significantly, and the bettor was offered a cash-out option of $1.2 million. The bettor declined, and when Woods failed to win the remaining three majors, the bettor lost the bet. However, the bettor’s initial $185,000 investment still resulted in a profit of $13 million.
While these wins are rare, they serve as a reminder that with a little luck and skill, it is possible to beat the odds and win big. However, it is important to remember that sports betting can be a risky activity, and most bettors will not experience the same level of success as the individuals mentioned in this article. As always, bet responsibly and never bet more than you can afford to lose.
