Every sports bettor dreams of winning big from their favorite teams and matches. Sports bettors love to pick out the teams, analyze the history, and then bet on the outcomes of the matches that are lined up in a season. When the match starts, the bettors get hooked on to the screens to see if their prediction was right and if they won the bet that they placed with so much conviction. The fantasy of winning the bets and having confidence in the teams of choice can really change the way that the bettors behave as well. It is something that they wish for with every match around the corner.Â
Some of the lucky bettors get their life-changing wins and see some excellent outcomes from the bets that they make. Sports betting is not just about luck but also about the hard work of the bettors in the analysis that they have made over time. It takes a lot of time and excellent intuition to know which team will actually win. Smart betting is a strong part of the sports betting industry, and bettors who know the right techniques are the ones who can actually make millions out of sports betting, to begin with.Â
Although winning big bets is just a dream for some people, others have actually made millions out of small bets. Let’s check out the names and achievements of the biggest winners in the history of offline and online sports betting apps in India and abroad:
- Harry Wilson and Peter Edwards
When it comes to the UK, soccer is the most popular sport on record. Harry Wilson had an excellent relationship with soccer from the beginning. His grandfather, Peter Edwards, had placed a bet on Harry Wilson when he was a toddler and told the bookmaker that he would one day beat records and play for his national team of Wales. The bet placed was only 50 Euros in 2000. In 2013, Harry Wilson was 16 years old and benched to play for Wales. At the last minute, he was pulled as the substitute to play in the World Cup qualifier. In this match, Harry Wilson actually broke records and became the youngest player to represent his own country. This made his grandfather a rich man who won 150,000 Euros from the bet that he had placed 13 years ago. Â
- Lewis Hamilton and Richard Hopkins
Richard Hopkins is another bettor who had an excellent instinct for the rising star – Lewis Hamilton. As Hopkins watched Hamilton in action, he was sure about the bright future of the racer and knew that he was the right person to bet on. Taking this into consideration, Hopkins placed three separate bets on Hamilton as he made his predictions. The first bet was of 200 Euros on the fact that Hamilton would win the race before he would turn 23 years old. The second bet was of 100 Euros that Hamilton would win the World Championship by the time he reached 25 years of age. The third bet was 50 Euros that Hamilton would win both championships. When Hamilton actually proved his predictions right, Hopkins became a rich man, and the total winnings were recorded at 165,000 Euros.Â
- Floyd Mayweather
Floyd Mayweather’s name is legendary in the sports betting industry. His predictions have made him a pretty rich man over the years. He is a boxing legend himself but has excellent instincts when it comes to betting and can be a bit notorious as well. He is known for his exceptional sports bets and for winning hundreds of thousands of dollars in them. Even in one single event, he has won a considerable amount of money in the past. Floyd has a lot of money in his pocket as he is also one of the most highly-paid sports stars in the history of boxing. In 2014, he bet $815,000 on the Denver Broncos, and when the team won, Floyd collected a big check of $1.4 million in the fourth quarter.Â
- Billy Walters
Billy Walters is one name without whom the list of the major sports bettors cannot be completed. Like Floyd Mayweather, Walters is also a notorious sports bettor and has earned a reputation on his name for the same reasons. He was sometimes banned from wagering because the sportsbooks feared that he would definitely win the bets and they would have to pay him a huge amount at the end of the day. In 2010, Walters made a significant bet when he put $3.5 million on the New Orleans Saints, who were competing against the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. As the Saints were underdogs, there were many doubts about them winning the match. There are no records of how much he actually won from the bet, but everyone in the industry claimed that the amount was pretty hefty.Â
- Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley is another NBA legend who later became an announcer. He is known to have lost a lot of money in sports betting over the years. Experts claim that the amount of losses is somewhere around $30 million. His big win in the Super Bowl 36 is the record that put him in the limelight and stirred the sports betting community. He had wagered half a million dollars on the underdog team of New England Patriots who was competing against Louis Rams. He also wagered another $50,000 on the money line and eventually won both the bets.Â
The controversy in the win of Charles Barkley arose when there was information that he did not have enough credit with the Mandalay Bay sportsbook. He also had not signed any marker. But after much discussion, the sportsbook agreed to pay him $800,000 as his winnings.Â
Apart from the above-mentioned sports bettors, there are several other renowned names in the history of sports betting who have collected a heavy sum of money for their contributions. Some bettors have become professional bettors and made it a steady source of income for themselves.Â