The craziest sports bets of all time

Updated
Wimbledon 2017 - Day Ten - The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Wimbledon 2017 - Day Ten - The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club

This year's Wimbledon saw the most money bet on the results than ever before, which means it's highly likely to be the Wimbledon with the most money lost by the gamblers too. However, in among the many tales of torn up tickets and disappointments, are some astonishing results that keep the punters dreaming.

See also: Five ways to boost your lottery chances

See also: The world's weirdest ever bets


Figures from Bonus Code Bets revealed that 25% of all this year's Wimbledon bets were placed on Johanna Konta to win, which goes to show that you should never bet with money you cannot afford to lose.

However, over the years we have seen some unbelievable wins - some with very small stakes - which are enough to keep some people dreaming that one day they could join the ranks of the exceptionally lucky winners. Research from SBO.net has unearthed some of the most astonishing wins.

The five most rewarding wins:

1. Billy Walters made a name for himself in sports betting, with some stunning wins and incredible losses - amounting to several millions of dollars. One of his most famous wins was in 2010, when he says he put $3.5 million on New Orleans to win the SuperBowl. He got odds of 1:1, so when the underdogs triumphed he picked up $7 million.

2. Plenty of people put small stakes on an accumulator, hoping several results will go their way and the winnings will add up. One of the most shocking successes was in 2008, when Fred Craggs put 50p on an eight-horse-accumulator - chosen purely by looking at their names. They all came in, and he picked up £1 million.

3. In 2014, an anonymous London gambler placed what seemed like a ridiculous bet. With just 20 minutes left to play, he put £100 on the results of eight football matches. He bet that the team that was losing at the time in each case would go on to draw or win. He got odds of 6,500:1, and picked up £650,000.

4. Darren Yeats from Morecambe won £550,000 from a £59 bet in 1996. Frankie Dettori was riding in all seven races at Ascot and Darren put the money on him winning them all. His bet came in at 25,000:1.

5. Back in 2001, an anonymous gambler from Lichfield put a stake of just 30p on an enormous accumulator with odds of 1,666,666:1. He picked up £500,000.

There are also the gamblers who won less, but made outrageous bets that paid off. Last year there was the fan who put £100 on Leicester to win the Premiership before the season started. He ended up cashing in before the end of the season, but took home £200,000.

Then there was Rory McIlory's dad Gerry, who decided when his son was 15 that he had what it took to win the Open by the age of 25. He put £200 on the bet, and netted £165,000.

Finally, there was the motor racing fan who saw Lewis Hamilton racing karts at the age of 13 and placed a £100 bet that he would win the F1 Driver's Championship before he was 25. He picked up £165,000.

Of course, there are always people who hold out hope for this kind of win - against all the odds - but it's worth bearing in mind that by far the most likely outcome is that you lose your stake.

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