When it comes to betting, there are no limits – there are reports of bets being placed on anything and everything. However, crazy bets are often miraculously won, with others ending up quite costly!
Many hilarious bets with surprising outcomes have been made in the UK, a nation that loves betting. Here are just some of the best bets and winnings we’ve come across. Also try out TonyBet Ireland to find even crazier bets.
A bet of 2,000,000:1
A Yorkshire man achieved the impossible when he won at odds of 2,000,000:1 and became a millionaire in the process! At first, Fred Craggs had no idea what had happened. He had celebrated his 60th birthday at the racecourse. As he was celebrating a big birthday, he didn’t take much time to place his bets and wanted to enjoy the day. His stake was small, so he didn’t risk much.
But Craggs was all the more astonished when he realized later, when placing more crazy bets, that he had won a huge sum that made him a millionaire! Every one of his horses had come through! The odds that Craggs would win this bet were 2 million to 1!
Got 8 bets right
Matched 8 bets correctlyWinning jackpots are rare, but Mark Hubbard managed to match 8 soccer matches correctly to win the “Up For 8” jackpot from a popular sports betting provider. Hubbard was the first player to win the prize and explained afterwards that he hadn’t put much thought into the decision.
“I didn’t do much research – I just bet on the teams I thought had a chance and went with my instincts,” Hubbard said, explaining, ”My biggest betting profit before this game is around £100, so it’s nothing like this one. I’ve played a few of these games before and never won anything, so I’m delighted.” The winnings amounted to 8,000 pounds (equivalent to around 9,300 euros).
Rory McIlroy’s father bets that he will win the British Open within 10 years
The successful golfer Rory McIlroy was only 15 years old when his father Gerry McIlroy bet with friends that his son would win the British Open in 10 years’ time. He wanted to show his son how much he believed in him.
Today, Rory McIlroy is a legend in the sport, has already been a four-time major champion and has managed to win both the PGA Tour money rankings and the PGA European Tour. He was at the top of the world golf rankings for a long time and remained in this position for almost 100 weeks. He also won 14 PGA tournaments.
But most notably, he won the British Open within 10 years after his father and friends bet 200 pounds on it! Rory was only 24 years old when he managed to make his father’s prediction come true.
As the odds of 500 to 1 were of course not particularly good for the bookmaker at the time, Gerry won a whopping £100,000 from his bet, while his friends shared a further £80,000.