Credit: Gerald Murphy Flickr
When the Tote Jackpot starts to reach 7 figures, it attracts more bets than usual as punters hearing about the huge pool on offer decide to have a go for it.
This sudden increase in betting activity therefore builds the pool even more and at pace too, creating something of a frenzy as bettors try to get their hands on a tasty dividend.
This is what happened in 2010, when the pot grew to a record breaking £2,308,852. There had been £981,875 left on the table after no one managed to win the pool the day before, and in an effort to get their hands on it a staggering £1,326,977 was placed by punters in the following 24 hours, more than doubling the pool.
There were no huge upsets in the races, and although no favourites won their races there were no huge long shots coming out of nowhere to eliminate everyone’s bets.
The winning horses were as follows:
- Fabiello – 11/2
- Tallahasse – 3/1
- Spinning Spirit – 9/2
- Uphold – 10/1
- Joseph Lister – 8/1
- Starkat – 7/1
So the 4th race of the day had the longest odds winner, but there was still £94.50 worth of bets in the running going into the last race, and every horse was covered so someone was definitely going to win the pool.
Only £14.50 was bet on the eventual winner, Starkat, which meant the dividend per £1 bet worked out as £113,054.10.
The majority was apparently won by large stakes bettors, so we don’t know how much of it went to the same person or people, but one of the winners was a Ladbrokes shop customer.
He remained anonymous, but we know that he only bet £4 in total and to a £2 unit stake, so he walked away with a massive £226,108.20 – one of the biggest Tote Jackpot wins by a single punter ever, and one of the most impressive too given how little he wagered.
Perhaps he was one of the many people who had the same thought as this chap:
Tote jackpot at Haydock today, not won at Newcastle yesterday, could hit 2 million today. Certainly more value than the lottery
— Adrian Brooksbank (@Chadlad1) August 5, 2010
When the pool gets into millionaire territory, the value is definitely there, as that Ladbrokes customer found out.