Whether you’re betting on horse races or sporting events, the dream is to win millions and never have to work another day in your life. Of course, this rarely happens, which is why it’s so fascinating when someone does win big. It doesn’t even need to be that someone was sneaky or did something illegal to beat the system. It can be all about someone’s blind luck. These famous betting coups are enough to make even the most cynical bettor want to dream big. One betting coup that came down to blind luck was a coup pulled off by Fred Craggs. He became known as the “50p Millionaire.”

On the eve of his 60th birthday in 2008, Fred Craggs placed an eight-horse accumulator bet. At the time, Craggs worked as an agricultural agent for the Thirsk branch of William Hill in Yorkshire. His winning the bet made him the first betting shop millionaire in the United Kingdom. When Craggs placed his bet on the winner for eight horseraces, his combined odds of winning were 2,800,000/1.

Isn’t That Lucky

With a touch of irony, the first race’s winning horse was named Isn’t That Lucky, and the final horse that won the eighth race bore the name A Dream Come True. By the end of the day, Craggs would be a millionaire as all eight horses he selected won their races. His only dark cloud was a small print rule of William Hill that capped his winnings at £1 million pounds versus the £1.4 million he should have won.

In an interesting turn of events, William Hill had another rule that might have capped Craggs’ winnings at a £100,000 pounds, but they decided it would reflect badly on their firm if they imposed it and awarded Craggs the £1 million. This rule related to the fact that some of the races Craggs placed bets on were overseas races. However, the fear of a public relations nightmare won out, and Craggs received his £1 million.

Craggs routinely placed small bets, so he didn’t check to see if he had any winners until Saturday, the day of his 60th birthday. What an amazing birthday present! On Saturday afternoon, Craggs stopped by a William Hill location in the town of Bedale. It wasn’t until one of the employees asked if he had any tickets to check that he remembered the wild and unlikely bet he’d placed the day before. Craggs remembers feeling warm and being surrounded by people who had no idea he’d won so much money.

Enhanced Retirement

Craggs continued his day and had dinner with his family without mentioning his huge winnings. He didn’t want to be one of those people who went around screaming and yelling their excitement. In fact, he didn’t tell his family about his £1 million bet until Sunday. He saw the money as a way of enhancing his retirement. Many looked on Craggs’ bet as the most amazing bet placed in a betting shop since they became legalised in the UK in 1961.

Each time you place a bet, you hope that you’ll find winnings like Craggs’. While Craggs’ bet was blind luck and a lot of faith, you can improve your odds of winning by doing some research on the horses that are racing and the racetrack where these horses are racing. There are many ins and outs to betting that you should feel comfortable with before placing a knowledgeable bet or just trying your luck. Also, different types of bets can increase the amount of money you win exponentially if you win through research or just by making a shot in the dark bet. Who knows you might become the next Fred Craggs.

Of course you can enhance your chances with one of the winning betting systems that has shown itself to stand up to the scrutiny of a live trial here at Honest Betting Reviews.

We can but dream eh?