Betfred has paid out on what is believed to be the most incredible bet of all time.

Jobless Steve Sales wagered £1.40 that three Betfred Cup matches would ALL end up 7-0 – and remarkably they did!

After beating the bookie’s combined odds of 276,000/1 on his multi-bet patent, the lucky Londoner who admits he knows next to nothing about football north of the border netted £57,990.20p.

In the last round of Betfred Cup matches, Steve had Dundee to beat Forfar, Inverness to win at home to Arbroath and Ross County to triumph against Cove Rangers on Saturday afternoon. The odds on each match being 7-0 were 80/1, 66/1 and 50/1 respectively.

Father of three Steve, aged 54 was sweating as he watched the scorelines coming in on TV at his home in Sutton, South London – particularly as each game was 6-0 with five minutes to go.

“It was just a bit of fun but now my life has changed forever,” said Steve, who 18 months ago badly injured his shoulder moving a sofa while working as a removal man and has been on the dole since.

“That money is a lifeline for me it really is. First thing I’m doing is sorting out a luxury cruise to the Caribbean or Mediterranean for my mum June who deserves a break after looking after my dad who has been ill for a long time. There will also be treats for my grown up children.

“For me? Well I have had a few drinks with my friends as you can imagine but what I am looking forward to most is being able to afford to keep the electricity on all the time at home and fill the fridge with food like other people do.”

Steve, who was taught about the patent – a series of singles, doubles and a treble bet – by his grandfather, added: “It was an absolutely ridiculous bet. The three home teams were all odds on and it was just a bit of fun to keep me out of the pub I suppose! I only had such a small amount on because that is all I can afford. I often do a patent like this but usually for say three games in the Premier League to end 4-0 or something like that.

“Regarding number seven I once bet that Barcelona would win 7-0 but they won 7-1 so it is not a lucky number for me…until now. My grandad Harry taught me about patents and I love them because you can keep your eye on a few games at the same time so lots of interest.

He went on: “Apart from Celtic and Rangers I know nothing about Scottish football. On Saturday I was thinking a few goals would be handy especially with Ross County only one nil up at half time. Then all the three games were 6-0 with the seventh goals going in on the 87,88 and 89th minutes…those three minutes have transformed my life. It is amazing to win so much from such a tiny stake in what is effectively a hobby.”

Steve put his bookie bashing bet on Saturday morning at his local Betfred shop at High Street, Sutton – and didn’t know how much he’d won until he went back in the evening. “No one could believe it at Betfred where I am regular. They are so patient in there putting on my tiny bets and they were as pleased as me that I had won so much. Maybe this will signal a change in my fortunes with my shoulder getting better and me getting a job.”

Betfred boss Fred Done said: ” I have been in this game fifty years and never before has there been such an unbelievable winning bet. I’m absolutely delighted for Steve. He must have been the only person on earth to predict three seven nil victories in one afternoon.”