Sports betting is a big industry and hugely popular. This could be due to the fact it is the performance of the team and or individual that determines the outcome of the result rather than the random number generator (RNG) that powers most online casino games. RNG is not a factor in sports betting.
Team performance combined with a player’s ability to predict certain results makes sports betting possibly a less controversial affair than an online casino.
So much so, that sites like esportsbetting.com offer you the chance to find online gaming sites that allow esports betting. This is a flourishing side of the gaming market that is considered to be worth about $1.1bn.
Wins historically in sports betting make the headlines in the national press. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest wins in sports betting history.
1. Leicester City Winning the English Premiership
There have only been five teams to win the lucrative English Premier League. They are Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Leicester City.
In 2015 when the latter became champions they were an average team at best. So much so that the bookies had them down as 5000/1 outsiders. A brave punter put down £100 for Leicester to win the league and walked away with a cool £200,000.
2. 15-Leg NFL Parlay
Parlay also known as accumulators in the UK, are when you make a series of bets. After each win, the winnings are then used to stake the next bet. It is rare to win two or three bets in a row, so having 15 winning bets in a row is amazing.
For a $5 bet, Tayla Polia’s winnings were $105,000. Her 15 game winning streak was a mixture of average and favourite teams.
By all accounts, it was her second-ever bet.
3. Tiger Woods 2019 Masters Win
Although Tiger Woods’s form has dipped over the last few years probably due to various scandals that keep emerging about him, his 2019 triumph was not just a bounce-back for him.
James Adducci placing his first-ever sports bet managed to gain $1.2mil from an $85,000 stake with odds of 14/1.
It was great for Woods to bounce back and it was great for Adducci to win so well.
4. Kansas City Royals
In 2015 the Kansas City Royals were 30/1 to win the World Series. What kind of man would bet on these outsiders to win the whole championship? ‘Vegas Dave’ Oancea a sports betting consultant did precisely that.
‘Vegas Dave’ has a reputation for big wins and is banned from Las Vegas due to faking IDs to play in casinos.
The Kansas win was one of his most major. He picked up a tidy $2.5m after betting $100,000 on the Royals. His millions of followers were pretty stunned.
5. Baltimore Ravens 2000-2001 Super Bowl Win
You may think it is just the guy in the street who lays bets but professional athletes do it too. Take Phil Mickelson who put down $20,000 on the Ravens before the season had started and was offered 22/1 odds.
This netted him $560,000 which must have made that particular season sweeter.
6. Bayern Munich 2001 Champions League Win
When the German side Bayern Munich defeated Spain’s Valencia in the Champions League final it was a glorious day for the German team. The victory was Bayern Munich’s fourth Champions League win and it was a glorious day for Mike Gibbs.
Gibbs put down £0.30 on a 15-leg accumulator. The odds offered were 1,666,666/1. After predicting the winners of 14 consecutive matches, when Munich won on penalties, Gibbs collected a cool £500,000.
7. Frankie Dettorri’s ‘Magnificent Seven’
In 1996, jockey Frankie Dettorri won all seven of his races in one glorious day at Ascot. When he did, Darren Yates £62 bet turned into a £550,000 win. A great day for both men and a bad day for the bookmakers.
8. Mike Futter Betting on his own horse Monty’s Pass
In 2003 Mike Futter placed a bet on his own horse, Monty’s Pass. The horse did magnificently, winning the race resulting in Futter being paid £348,000 for the win. His wager, netted him a further £400,000 thanks to the win-bet he placed earlier. A great day for Futter.
9. Xabi Alonso Scoring from his own half
In 2005 Liverpool FC defeated Luton Town in the FA Cup third round, 5-3. In the closing minutes of the game, Xabi Alonso scored a remarkable goal from his own half.
Adrian Hayward had staked £200 that Alonso would pull this off during the match. Happily for Hayward that is exactly what happened, netting him £25,000.
The lesson here is that Hayward a long-time fan of Liverpool noted that Alonso often had tried to score from within his own half. This kind of shot is notoriously difficult to do and rarely does a player score when attempting it.
It was this observation that led Hayward to place the bet.
Sports betting. You can’t beat it!
