Punter "blown away" after landing life-changing £5million from free bet

A lucky punter has landed one of the biggest wins in betting history without having to stake a penny.

He landed a life-changing £5million after taking advantage of the free-to-enter competition organised by the sponsor of the TAB Everest, the world’s richest turf race.

The challenge which was set account holders in New Zealand was to select the correct finishing order of the 12-runner £7.5million sprint race, which was run in Sydney, Australia on Saturday.

Amazingly he pulled it off, predicting every horse’s placing in the race from Think About It in first place to last over the line, Alcohol Free.

The odds of selecting the exact finishing order is believed to be nearly 500 million to one. The man from Auckland, who has requested anonymity, told TAB NZ he was “absolutely blown away” with the win.

“I saw the promotion on the TAB site and thought I’d give it a crack,” he said. “I didn’t put too much thought into my picks and just dropped the runners where I thought it could go.

"Honestly, I could not believe I'd won it,” he added. “I actually thought it was a hoax when they first rang me – I called the TAB back, and it took quite a lot of convincing before it sank in.

"To have pulled it off, winning $10 million in a free to play competition, is truly incredible for my family and I."