An unemployed man in London was hit by a massive stroke of luck when his random bet won him almost £60,000.
As reported in the London Standard, Steve Sales, 54, decided to bet £1.40 on three Scottish League Cup games finishing 7-0 which had the combined odds of 276,000/1. That is exactly what happened and changed his life forever, according to Steve, who doesn’t even closely follow football in that part of the country.
‘Apart from Celtic and Rangers I know nothing about Scottish football,’ Steve said.
‘On Saturday I was thinking a few goals would be handy especially with Ross County only one nil up at half time. Then all the three games were 6-0 with the seventh goals going in on the 87, 88 and 89th minutes…those three minutes have transformed my life. ‘It is amazing to win so much from such a tiny stake in what is effectively a hobby.’
Betfred were the unlucky bookmaker on the end of Steve’s wonder punt, and they were quick to congratulate him on his win.
Congratulations to our lucky customer who has won £57,990 on a 20p patent bet!#BetfredCup pic.twitter.com/b7gxkixH9q
— Betfred (@Betfred) July 31, 2016
Despite the huge payout, Betfred are reported to be happy to continue taking bets from Steve in the future, even if he does only use small stakes. Many bookies are even offering free bets to their online customers these days, which would mean he could actually start to increase his stakes in future. Bad news for all bookies if he manages to repeat this trick again!
Steve has been unemployed ever since he injured his shoulder as he was trying to move a sofa during his old job as a removal man. He describes his winnings as a lifeline for himself and plans on sending his mother on a luxury cruise to the Caribbean or Mediterranean.
‘There will also be treats for my grown up children.’ Steve told Betfred. ‘It was just a bit of fun but now my life has changed forever.’