Ask any sports betting pundit, and he or she will tell you that people have been enjoying it for close to a century, with evidence tracing it back to ancient Greece and Egypt. The bettors then may not have experienced the convenience that we enjoy today, but the fascination of turning a small stake into a fortune has continued to attract billions of punters over the years.
Whether you are talking about betting on American football, horse racing, basketball, hockey, tennis, or even at the New York Islanders odds, sports betting has witnessed some great and astonishing wins over the years. In this article, we explore the biggest sports betting wins in history, demonstrating just how life-changing a right bet can be.
James Adducci winning $1.2 Million on Tiger Woods Masters Bet
In 2019, James Adducci, a man who according to CBS Sports never placed a bet on sports before, made a bet that to many seemed absurd. He risked $85,000. Many described this as crazy given that Tiger Wood was not at his best since he had faced some setbacks in terms of personal issues and injuries.
Tiger Woods had not won any major tournament in 10 years and this made him an unlikely winner with 14 to 1 odds. However, Adducci believed in him and risked his life savings. The gamble paid off, Woods won the Masters and Adducci took home a staggering $ 1.2 million, one of the biggest odds bet ever won in recent history.
To Adducci this win was a life-changing moment, and he said “This is a story for the grandkids.” When asked about the reason for betting such a huge amount of money with 14-1 odds, James Adducci said he had a feeling the golf star was going to win because his children were watching. “In that moment he won, and I won, what was the most special for me, and it’s why I placed the bet in the first place, was just seeing him share that victory with his kids,” said Adducci.
Vegas Dave Oancea who took home $2.5 Million on the Kansas City Royals
Dave Oancea, who is referred to by some especially in the betting sphere as Vegas Dave” came into the limelight in 2015 when he took home $ 2.5 million. This is after he wagered in future bets on the Kansas City Royals to win the World Series.
Given the way the game was at the time he was placing the bet; anybody would have declared David a crazy person. At the time, the Royals were 30-to-1 underdogs, a score which was a long shot by any standard. It is reported that David split his bets across multiple casinos, which included the Westgate Casino among others.
It seems confidence and patience are two virtues that a bettor should have as shown by David’s big win. He stood his ground and refused to budge on his bet. This paid off when the team carried the day, winning the World Series title. David secured himself a staggering $ 2.5 million, a win that remains to date one of the biggest odds bets ever won.
Mike Futter: £800,000 on Monty’s Pass at the Grand National
About thirty years ago, Mike Futter, an Irish businessman who is believed to own six bingo clubs in Northern Ireland and the Republic, wagered on his racehorse Monty’s Pass. This bet on to win the Aintree Grand National. The odds were:
- 40-to-1,
- 50-to-1,
- and 66-to-1
With Monty’s Pass crossing the finish line first, somebody was £800,000 richer, this amount was equivalent to 1.1 million at the time. The Futter’s win entered history, it was one of the biggest sports bet wins in horse racing. As analysts put it, Futter’s win was not just luck. As a person who has been backing horses for a better part of his life, prior to this he had been winning for the last 26 years.
He had carefully studied the course and by noting that Monty’s Pass had performed better on the left side of the track, he knew he had great chances of winning. After his win, Futter became a household name in the gambling sphere. Mike is also reported to have invested his earnings in property. This as any financial advisor would observe is a demonstration of smart planning. He proved that smart planning is needed for someone to change his fortunes.
Steve Whiteley: £1.5 Million from a £2 Tote Bet
A story is told of a man who traveled to the horse race by bus and used a free ticket to get into the course. He placed a £2 bet but that day he went home a millionaire. The man was Steve Whiteley, the 61-year-old heating engineer.
He did what no other horse racing bettor could manage, picking six wins to land the jackpot and mind you, this jackpot had been rolling for more than a week. It is also surprising to learn that Steve Whitely, the man who pocketed £1.5 million payout, had no deep knowledge of horses that he bet on. Whiteley is reported to have said the following when he described his win, “I don’t know why I picked those horses. It was just luck.”. Through this win, we are reminded that sometimes, fortune really does favor the brave.
The biggest wins may sound like incredible stories but pundits would say they are a testimony of the risk and reward that characterize sports betting. We have had winners over the years who have taken home a substantial amount of money. Some are out of strategy and timing and others due to sheer luck.
