Whether it’s the low odds with the trustful teams or the craziest express with incredibly small chances of winning, risk goes hand in hand with the dream of winning a large amount of money. For some, such luck comes over time due to the betting strategies worked out over the years, for others, everything happens completely suddenly.
Of course, the safest option are ordinaries with easily predictable events. Even the chance of a little success is already a great result. However, the biggest wins in betting history have been on pools or express. Which is surprising, mostly by people far from worlds of sports or betting.
While it’s challenging to pinpoint the absolute biggest wins with minimum bets ever, there are several notable instances where individuals have turned small wagers into substantial profits through luck or strategic gameplay. Here are a few examples:
- Online Slots:
- In 2013, a Finnish player won €17.8 million (about $24 million) with a 25-cent bet on the Mega Fortune slot machine.
- Sports Betting:
- In 2019, a sports bettor in Las Vegas placed a $85,000 parlay bet on 14 different football games. The bet had odds of 1,200 to 1, and all 14 games went in the bettor’s favor, resulting in a payout of over $1 million.
- Roulette:
- In 2004, a man named Ashley Revell sold all his possessions, including his clothes, and bet $135,300 on a single spin of the roulette wheel in Las Vegas. He chose to bet on red and doubled his money when the ball landed on 7 red.
- Blackjack:
- In 2011, a man known as Don Johnson, not the actor, reportedly won around $15 million in a single blackjack session in Atlantic City. Johnson used a combination of skillful play and negotiating favorable rules with the casino.
- Lottery:
- Many lottery winners have turned small investments into massive payouts. For instance, a few dollars spent on a lottery ticket led to multi-million-dollar wins for some lucky individuals.
It’s important to note that gambling involves a significant element of chance, and these stories are exceptional cases. For every big win, there are countless losses. Gambling should always be approached responsibly, and individuals should be aware of the risks involved. It’s not recommended to rely on gambling as a means of making money.
55 pounds and a record odds
Guinness Book of World Records recorded the highest score ever, 3,956,748. In 1984, an Englishman named Edward Hudson bet 55 pounds on the weakest horse. To his surprise the horse showed excellent results.
Unfortunately for Hudson, the prize was only £3,000. English bookmakers at that time, probably not wanting to go broke on payouts, had limits for this size.
Big express
Speaking of the stories recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records, it is also worth mentioning the express for 14 events, it had a odds of 209 856. During the 2010 FIFA World Cup, some fan decided to bet on outsiders for inexplicable reasons. In a surprising way, he predicted the most incredible development of matches, ranging from a draw between Germany and Finland, as well as a guest victory of the Danes over the Portuguese. Most notably, the said fan was able to predict even exact scores – 3:3 and 2:3.
If he decided to bet, his prize would be about $100,500.
5 pence on the worst horse
England. In 1995, a lady whose name is still unknown, made a bet of only 5 pence on the worst horse in the rating. The odds were 3 072 887. Unbelievably, this horse became the first in the race, and the English lady became the luckiest winner of a prize of 153 644 pounds. Unfortunately, the limits of the betting office slightly spoiled the impression of winning in this case too. However, the exact sum of the final payment was not called.
By the way, the woman’s never been to the track before.
Football star
Perhaps the most amazing big win stories happen in the UK. The thing is, in this country, people can bet on almost anything.
This was the success of Harry Wilson. Harry’s grandfather, Peter Edwards, won £125,000 by wagering with William Hill. He bet that his grandson would represent Wales when his grandson was only 18 months old. The bet was only £50.
In 2013, Harry received his first call-up to the national team when he was 16.
Odds of three million
There were some lucky people in Russia too. One of the largest cases of betting happens to be in Moscow, where a man won more than 140 million rubles. Without risking a large sum, he bet only 50 rubles. The total of odds was about three million.
The better made good predictions for 15 events – football matches and several NHL games, in one of which he was incredibly able to predict a draw.
Game coupon
The story from France once again proves how unpredictable luck can be. The bank worker, in his spare time, filled the game coupon with the current sports tournaments. He relied only on luck, not analyzing pre-match statistics or giving much thought to choosing a betting office.
As a result – 10 outcomes, guessed absolutely true. And a win of as much as 6.5 million euros, most of which the Frenchman transferred to the needs of local orphanages.
