Betfred were at it again with the early payouts, and this one was a pretty big call given the state of the Premier League table at the time.
With six games left to play, Fred Done, founder and owner of Betfred, decided to pay out early on Manchester City winning the Premier League.
✅ Man City
❌ Liverpool
❌ ArsenalFred’s seen enough! We’re paying out on Manchester City to win the title, following the weekend’s results.
Fred was the first bookie to pay out early in 1998, but he got it wrong, has he got it right this time?#MCFC | #LFC | #AFC pic.twitter.com/OtrJRLfuy7
— Betfred (@Betfred) April 15, 2024
As it stood, City were only 2 points clear of Arsenal in 2nd place and Liverpool in 3rd, but both the Gunners and the Reds suffered surprising defeats on the weekend before the payout. Arsenal lost 2-0 to Aston Villa at home, and Liverpool succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to lowly Crystal Palace, again at home.
On the other hand, Man City smashed Luton 5-1, so Betfred were potentially betting on form here.
The title had been a three horse race all season, and none of them had a particularly easy or difficult final six games, so things could have changed, but Betfred were obviously confident that Manchester City had enough left in the tank to go the distance.
Speaking of his decision, Done said:
“I watched both the Liverpool and Arsenal games yesterday and for me, it’s game over because Manchester City are going to win the Premier League this year. There’s no danger of that. Liverpool look as if they’re beat. They’re gone. For anybody that backed Manchester City before 2pm on Sunday, I’m paying out on City to win the Premier League from now. Go and get your money.”
Nevertheless, each team still had 18 points to play for, so the race was certainly not over. Fred will have been crossing his fingers that he didn’t get a repeat of his 1998 early payout blunder, or the 2012 one for that matter.
The early payout cost Betfred £750,000 in winnings, but of course, they would have had to pay out anyway if City won the league, which they did in the end. Ending the market early also meant no more bets taken, limiting the company from further exposure on that particular line.
Plus, there’s nothing like a wave of free publicity which this stunt most certainly achieved for Betfred, and who knows how many punters will choose to place their outright bets with them in the future, hoping for a similar early payout.
Man City Win 4th League Title in a Row
From Manchester City FC
Although financial fair play cases had been hanging over them all season, Man City coursed forwards and made history when they beat West Ham 3-1 on the final day of the season.
They needed the win too, because although Liverpool were no longer a threat having hit a bad run of form at the end of the season, Arsenal were still in the running.
The Gunners were only 2 points behind, and fresh off the back of a 0-1 win away at Old Trafford, they looked sure to beat 15th placed Everton in their final game.
The goal difference between them and City wasn’t significant either, so relying on a draw would have been a mistake – City had to beat West Ham, who posed a more difficult prospect than Everton.
City were playing at the Etihad though, which was bound to be a help, and they had only lost to West Ham once since 2015, so realistically, no one was expecting them to lose.
Miracles can happen in football, but not that day.
City were 2-0 in front after 18 minutes, and while the Hammers got one back before half time – and with a spectacular over-head bicycle kick no less – a 59th minute goal from Rodri settled the game, which remained at 3-1 until the final whistle.