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Disclamer: Betting on sports is an intriguing and sometimes just plain fun pastime. Sure thing. But it's important to remember that all betting carries the risk of losing money. It's not a good idea to bet too much, and it's even worse to try to make it your area of income. Take care of your nerves the same way you take care of your finances!
Betting and bookmakers have been around for a long time, and it's become a natural pattern, if not a tradition. Today, we've decided to try something a little different with our formats: read on, and we'll tell you about some of the most upsetting losses in the betting industry and what the odds were at the time.
And before we get started, if you're looking for the best sports betting affiliates, you can click on this link. You'll find lots of useful stuff there.
Germany, Spain, and a half-million-euro loss
One of the most epic losses happened before the semifinal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup between Germany and Spain. So, one fan then bet 500,000 euros on the German team, but it didn't pay off.
Spain won 1-0.
Carles Puyol scored the winning goal in the second half, with odds at 1.91-1.
What a shame!
Lionel Messi didn't win
At the end of the day, spors is all about the team.
Well, at least when it comes to sports within the generally accepted framework and concepts.
Anyways, it's not always the case that one can count on favorites to succeed. This was demonstrated by one fan of Barcelona who placed a bet on the team. To be more precise, on Messi.
That was a home match for the Barcelona against Real Sociedad. Then this very fan bet on Lionel Messi to win, putting 35 thousand pounds on it with odds of 1.7-1.
But he was wrong. He ended up losing the money. That's it.
Yes, sportspersons do place bets too!
Did you know that NBA legend Michael Jordan and welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather are known to regularly place bets and sometimes lose significant sums of money?
So, Jordan is not just into betting on sports, but also all kinds of bets with his friends, teammates, and relatives: Michael was always looking for an opportunity to compete and prove he could win. But back in reality, he lost so many times that it's impossible to keep track of them all.
And Mayweather once bet 10 million dollars on Denver beating Seattle in the Super Bowl (the deciding game of the National Football League, that is).
He miscalculated. And lost about two millions of dollars at the time.
Underdogs taking the lead
In 2007, Appalachian State (a small football team from North Carolina) shocked the world by beating the Michigan Wolverines. In fact, this is the first time ever that a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team has beaten the top-ranked team in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
The odds on Appalachian State to win were as high as 33-1. For some, of course, it was like winning the lottery, but for the vast majority, it was a crushing defeat from which there was no recovery.
Ride, but be steady and slow
In 2010, Australian businessman David Walsh won $22 million in the lottery. He decided to celebrate his win by betting some of his money on horse racing. So he decided to delegate exactly half of his winnings. Let's just say that his bet was very, very risky because he thought his horse could win the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (three of the most prestigious races in the United States). Only 11 horses in history had ever won it.
By the way, that's why he decided to put up 11 million – a kind of faith in numbers.
But what happened next?
Well, we'll surprise you, but the horse he chose did indeed win all three races, and he received $77 million – a stunning amount of money. Only the unfortunate thing is that the businessman kept on betting (there were lots and lots of them) and has won almost nothing since then.
He lost every bit of that money.
Nuff said.
And a little bit more about horse racing
This story is about the 1993 Breeders' Cup Classic.
A French-bred horse named Arcangues, who had only raced in Europe and on turf, was sent to California and won the Classic at odds of 133-1, which is generally considered to be the biggest payout in the Breeders' Cup at all time.
The funniest part?
It was that the jockey riding the winning nag couldn't understand a word the trainer was saying to him.
He then said in an interview: “I was just holding on to the rail and hoping for the best”.
One can only imagine the faces of those who bet on the obvious loss of this unfortunate couple, expecting easy money. And these people can't even be accused of being wrong or taking things too lightly.
