The Most Unbelievable Gambling Stories

All over the world, people gamble away their money and hope for big wins. Whether in the lottery, sports betting, or other games of chance, offline or on the Internet—the possibilities are numerous, and the chances are usually small. Sometimes, however, players win unimaginable amounts with the oddest bets. And it is not uncommon for the stakes and results to be so bizarre that they can inspire many stories! With that said, here are the most astonishing gambling stories.

Unbelievable Gambling Stories

1. A bet for the future

In 2000, Britain’s Peter Edwards made a bet that his grandson, then a toddler, would one day play for the Wales national football team. He bets £50, and betting shop owner William Hill takes the bet at odds of 2500:1.

Indeed, 13 years later, at 16, his grandson Harry Wilson was considered a promising youngster for Liverpool FC and came on as a substitute in a Wales national team game. His grandfather was able to pocket a profit of £125,000 with this. He wants to invest most of the earnings in his grandson by helping him travel to Liverpool Football Academy.

Incidentally, Peter Edwards only came up with the idea for the unusual bet because his grandson was already chasing the ball—before he could even walk. Nevertheless, it is one of the most intriguing stories about gambling, as the results came after almost 13 years, and the bookmaker still kept his promise and paid off the winnings.

2. Reds or nothing

This story is so exciting that you wonder if it’s actually true—yes, it is! This story is about Ashley Revell, a Brit who sold everything he owned to play at the casino. He even sells his last shirt, and with a total of USD 136,000, he then makes his way to the casino. 

He bet all the money on roulette on the red. You can still find evidence of this on YouTube videos today. The excitement can be seen and felt as the ball finally begins to roll. Then the ball landed on the red. The whole casino cheered and was happy for Ashley. He had doubled his stake. He then used the money to open his own online casino called Poker UTD, which was unfortunately shut down due to several controversies.

3. FedEx—Sometimes the help comes from blackjack

A very well-known household name is FedEx. You’ve probably heard of this company before. However, did you also know that this brand was only created through blackjack? The company has now made a name for itself and supplies people worldwide. However, this was not always the case. 

The company was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1974. The company was ultimately left with approximately $5,000. The owner, Frederick W. Smith, decided to take that money and put it all up on blackjack. Unexpectedly, he managed to turn the $5,000 into $32,000, and the rest is pretty much history. The money he won that night was enough to buy fuel and get the machines working again. A gambling story that is fondly remembered even today.

4. The little master

Aashish Nanak, from the Indian city of Chandigarh, was eight years old when he won $500,000 playing online poker in 2010. According to his family, the boy is a computer genius who designed his first website at the age of four. He started playing online poker at the age of six, reportedly using his uncle’s account.

However, the gaming platform refused to pay out the winnings because Aashish was well below the legal age to participate in online poker games. His family argued that the platform operators knew how old the boy really was and even called him the “little poker wizard.” In a court hearing, they continued the dispute over the money, but nothing was published about the outcome. 

5. 5000:1: Impossible but possible

Before the season, bookmakers thought it was doubtful that Leicester City would win the English Premier League. The odds were 5000:1, which is the same as betting that Elvis Presley is still alive. As a result, betting providers considered winning to be almost impossible.

Nonetheless, 47 optimists pounced and bet small amounts, such as £10 or £5. A Leicester fan even bet a paltry 10 pence—and was later able to look forward to a prize of 500 euros. When it became clear that the Leicester team could do the impossible, bookmakers tried to limit the damage by buying back bet slips.

Eventually, only 24 of the 47 bets remained when the underdogs took the title. And the 24 Brits, who believed in their team to the end, could look forward to a handsome prize.

Ending Thoughts

These are only the winning stories, and there could be thousands of stories where people lost everything they had gambling. So, always be cautious and play responsibly; you cannot predict the future. Therefore, make sure you know what you are doing. It’s better to start low at C$4 deposit casinos in Canada and then make it big.