Casinos and bookies have been around for many years now and whilst normally they see people betting on pretty standard things, such as the results of horse racing or a football match, or even the outcome of various slot games, every now and then we hear of someone staking a bet on something a little more unusual… In this article, we’re taking a look at the strangest bets that have ever been made, as well as how successful they were!
Novelty Bettor Wins Almost £200K
We’ve all seen novelty bets on sports betting sites, like who will win the X Factor or even who the next pope would be. One anonymous Welsh bettor managed to strike it lucky on these bets to the tune of £194K. He initially placed the accumulator bets in 1989 and cashed in when the millennium came around.
He bet on Cliff Richard to be knighted, the continuation of Emmerdale and that U2 would still be around in the year 2000. At odds of 6,479/1 he gambled his cash and it paid off a handsome return. He made a bet of just £30 which ended up returning that big cash prize.
Ashley Revell’s Life Savings
While you may know Ashley Revell as a betting genius, he wasn’t always known for this. He won big by taking his life savings to Vegas and betting it all. This crazy plan seemed to pay off for Revell, as he doubled his money by betting on red. This insane strategy set Revell into the world of gambling and made him a celebrity.
Today, you can see a plaque dedicated to Revell at the table on which he won his cash. This commemorative decoration is one of the sights to see in the city, as it’s where his illustrious career started. Nowadays, you can find him at tournaments and on panels about the industry.
He used the initial notoriety from the win to push out a site for poker tips, which went on to become his career. It’s safe to say he’s made more money from his reputation than from the initial bet.
Frankie Dettori Beats the Bookies
No one really thought that jockey Frankie Dettori could go on to clinch seven Royal Ascot wins. The bookies offered astronomical odds on this outcome, as they thought it was nothing more than wishful thinking. Although Dettori is a talented jockey, it was widely believed that he would fail at some point in the races.
In 1996 he took to the track and won every single race that he was a part of. This was a turn out for the books and the bookies ended up losing out on thousands of pounds. A few lucky members of the public snapped up a whole load of cash from this seemingly unlikely bet.
Dettori has always been something of a record breaker, so this should come as no surprise to fans. Along with Lester Piggott, the Milan born jockey is the only one to ride 100 winners in one season.
These are some of the oddest bets that have ever been made, though all of them have managed to pay out. What’s the strangest bet you’ve ever made?