[toc]Professional sports bettors often play it safe, seeking a ton of small edges to build their bankroll. That’s not as fun for people like you and me, though – when you’re deciding what to bet on at Bet365, your eyes are always drawn to the long odds and big payouts.
Biggest Sports Betting Upsets and Payouts in Recent History By Wes May 22, 2017 November 13, 2018 Many of the greatest sports moments in history happened as a result of big underdogs. Gambling - the game of risks. Through ups and downs - highs and lows - gambling attracts a massive fan base across the world - being one of the ultimate 'und.
Why not take a chance? It could happen…after all, in the history of sports betting, there have been a number of long shot wins. Let’s take a look at them.
Back-to-back Super Bowl safeties (50/1)
In any NFL game, it’s pretty rare that the first score will be from a safety. It’s rarer still in the Super Bowl, but not unheard of in the past few years.
Jona Rechnitz from New York bet $1,000 on the first point of the 2012 Super Bowl coming from a safety. The hefty 50/1 odds came through and he pocketed $50,000 and quit while he was ahead.
Just kidding – he bet again in 2014, this time putting $500 on the same outcome only for the Denver Broncos to grab their first score of the game from a safety, netting Rechnitz a cool $25,000.
Greece win UEFA Euro 2004 (150/1)
When the UEFA European Championships began in 2004, the Greece national team had never won a match in a major tournament.
In the opening match of the tournament, Greece immediately caused an upset by beating host nation Portugal 2-1 on their way to qualifying in second place from their group. Their first knockout game saw them defeat favorites France 1-0 before besting the Czech Republic in the semi-finals.
In the final, they faced Portugal for the second time in the tournament and once again managed to defeat the hosts to secure their first international tournament and netting several enterprising gamblers six-figure profits.
Rory McIlroy wins the British Open (500/1)
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy is currently one of the best in the world, with multiple PGA Championships and a US Open title under his belt. He spent nearly two years in the world number one spot of the Official World Golf Ranking.
Gerry McIlroy, Rory’s father, obviously saw this coming a long way off. He bet £200 in 2004 that the then-15-year-old Rory would win the British Open before he turned 25. He got 500/1 on his belief in his son, and it paid off.
Inter Milan beat Sampdoria 3-2 (999/1)
In January 2005, the Italian football league Serie A saw a fixture between Inter Milan and Sampdoria. With just two minutes left on the clock, Sampdoria led 2-0 and many Inter Milan fans were leaving the stadium.
In the 88th minute of play, Inter Milan scored; two minutes later, in the first minute of injury time, they scored again. In the very last kick of the game, Alvaro Recoba picked up the ball and scored from distance to secure a 3-2 victory for Inter Milan.
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No one was happier with this result than a gambler from Berkshire, England, who put £1 on an Inter Milan victory when they were 2-0 down and won almost £1,000 for his trouble.
Leicester City win the Premier League (5,000/1)
With odds of 5,000/1 (or perhaps higher), Leicester City’s victory in the English Premier League is one of the most unlikely events in sporting history.
Biggest Sports Betting Wins College Football
In 2009, the club were in the third tier of English football. In 2014, they had managed to secure promotion to the Premier League, but came very close to finishing bottom and being relegated out of the league that very season.
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However, they managed to snatch seven wins from their last nine games to stay in the league, and the very next year they won the title in an astounding turnaround. The unlikely victory gave the UK’s bookmakers their largest-ever single loss, costing them over £25 million.