Normally in this column, we like to focus on those big acca and bet builder wins landed on domestic soil.
But sometimes, it’s impossible not to enjoy – or turn green with envy – over huge payouts that are landed across the pond.
One American punter, who has chosen to remain anonymous but who we know hails from Pembroke Pines in Florida, pulled off quite the coup earlier this week with their 20-fold accumulator on college basketball.
They landed the biggest win in the history of the Hard Rock Sportsbook, taking home a cool £257,874 from their efforts.
And their stake? Just 75 pence, which means that the odds on their winning coupon were an eye-watering 344,901/1!
Hard Rock!? Hard cheese, more like…
Every Second Counts
It would take us the modern equivalent of the New Testament to detail all of the 20 picks individually.
But the punter in question had utilised the total points market for their selections; be it the total number of points scored in the game or by one of the teams competing.
They opted for the unders side for each of their 20 picks; as anybody that has ever backed under 2.5 goals in a football game, that can lead to a nervy ride.
Some of their selections landed with ease. They went with under 63.5 points for Niagara Purple Eagles, who lost 43-71, while a local derby between the Indiana State Sycamores and Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles ended 77-55 in the favour of the former; our punter had backed the latter to go under 73.5 points.
Many of the rest of their college basketball selections unfolded in a similar fashion, with the teams in question scoring below their expected points line.
Mind you, there was some close calls along the way… as you would expect in a 20-fold acca. Central Michigan got thrashed in their game with Saint Louis, yet they were still edging closer and closer to their 65.5 point line.
Fortunately for the Hard Rock customer, the buzzer sounded with the score at 107-65.
FINAL | Rio leads the way with 19 points.#FireUpChips🔥⬆️🏀 pic.twitter.com/VWjQf3FbQ0
— CMU Men’s Basketball (@CMUMensBBall) December 7, 2025
Florida Gulf Coast were trailing by seven points with just eight seconds left against Florida Atlantic, and while they were unlikely to win or tie the game from that position, they could still down our punter’s bet.
They had predicted FGCU to go under 76.5 points, but found them on 74 points with just those eight seconds left to play. Florida Gulf Coast drove down the court and got into a shooting position… a made three-pointer would have ended our punter’s bet in dramatic fashion.
But, fortunately for them, FGCU chose to go for a regular two-point score instead, so they ended the game on 76 points.
final from Alico. pic.twitter.com/CsVNjmIWbU
— FGCU Men’s Hoops (@FGCU_MBB) December 7, 2025
Meanwhile, in the game between the Davidson Wildcats and Saint Mary’s, the Hard Rock customer needed Davidson to end on 63 points or fewer.
With eleven seconds left on the clock, they had 61 points on the board… but attempted a three-pointer, which narrowly missed.
Davidson then regained possession of the ball, and with one second left of play, attempted two more shots – both, somehow, missed, so they ended the game on 61 points.
And so, by the narrowest of margins, our punter had turned their $1 wager – or 75 pence, to you or I – into a win of $344,902 payout… or approximately £257,874, according to today’s exchange rate.
Overnight Millionaire
As mentioned, that was the largest payout in Hard Rock’s history.
But they’ve kindly detailed some of the other big wins they’ve paid out over the years, including the previous record – that turned a £2,600 stake into the small matter of £1.4 million.
That unfolded in February of this year, when an Orlando based punter picked out a 14-fold accumulator covering basketball and ice hockey. The defining moment came when Canada defeated Sweden in a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey match – Mitch Marner scoring the all-important goal in overtime.
Our favourite big money payout at Hard Rock, in terms of the odds taken, saw one customer turn a £38 stake into a cool £810,000!
That was a 20-fold acca that took in selections from the NBA, NHL, college basketball and football across three days of action.
They landed eleven picks successfully on day one, before going five from five on the second day of selections – including one pick for Barcelona to beat Osasuna in La Liga by a scoreline of 1-0, 2-0 or 3-0.
Barca went 3-0 up with 13 minutes still left to play… however, Osasuna just about clung on to the requisite scoreline.
Four more college basketball selections were a slam dunk on day three, so this Hard Rock punter became an overnight millionaire – in U.S. Dollars, at least.