This win might not be life changing, but it’s a remarkable win because of the odds and the size of the stake – if you can call it that.
George Wagonback, an 85 year old long time Betfred customer from Sutton-in-Ashfield, made a 10-fold acca and paid for it with money he could realistically have found on the pavement on his way to the betting shop.
The bet was made up of ten different matches, with George betting that all ten would end in a draw. Here are his picks alongside the eventual results:
- Millwall vs Preston (0-0)
- Wimbledon vs Cheltenham (2-2)
- Bradford vs Leyton Orient (1-1)
- Colchester vs Rochdale (1-1)
- Swindon vs Crawley (1-1)
- Dundee vs Dundee United (0-0)
- Hibernian vs Hearts (0-0)
- Ross County vs Aberdeen (1-1)
- St Mirren vs Motherwell (1-1)
- Lebanon vs Iraq (1-1)
He spent two hours studying the fixtures list to create the acca, noting that he always bets on draws because “that’s what every match starts with” and he noticed that the Scottish games often end in a draw.
On finding out that he had won he humorously commented:
“I didn’t know I’d won, until I checked the paper the next day. I did feel good, but can’t jump around much these days – only little jumps!”
When the news got to Betfred’s head honcho, Fred Done, he said:
“George, a Betfred regular for years has my heartfelt congratulations. I’ve been in this business for over 50 years, and cannot remember anyone winning so much from just three pence. It is a truly remarkable win, with him beating odds of virtually 90,000/1.”
So while a 3p bet and 90,000/1 odds winning £2,686.04 might not be classed as a ‘big win’ based on the prize alone, on balance it’s pretty impressive!
Political Refugee
George himself has a pretty interesting story away from his betting life.
He was born in Budapest in Hungary and lived there until he was 20, when the revolution against the USSR occupation was kicking off and Russian troops were fighting revolutionaries in the streets.
He came to England, got himself a job as a fitter, met a girl and had a family.
Having been a keen sportsman and fitness fanatic, Mr Wagonback (which is an incredible name, isn’t it?) began body building and even ending up crowned Mr Nottingham in 1969, as well as playing competitive chess.
He has been a successful bettor in the past too, saying:
“I’ve had some significant wins on the football over the years, much bigger than this one. But then again, I usually bet more than 3p which is basically loose change that I had in my pocket.”
He celebrated with a bottle of champagne courtesy of Fred Done himself, and said that he will give his family some of the money but doesn;t have any plans to treat himself as he already feels like a winner and is happy with his life as it is.
What a guy.