Dave Oancea, known as ‘Vegas Dave’, is a divisive guy – and not just because of his obsession with Birkin bags and gaudy jewellery.
He calls himself a sports betting consultant these days, but he is more widely known as a gambling influencer, a tipster, and a general hustler.
It’s not just gambling where he makes his money then; he famously bought a baseball card for $400,000 in 2018 and sold it for $3.9 million in 2020.
Why is he divisive?
Well, he has a reputation as being rather shady and morally bankrupt, to put it lightly.
For example, he sold another baseball card for $18,000 which was proven to be counterfeit in 2017, and when confronted about it, said that he was not aware the card was counterfeit and refused to give the guy his money back. Remember, Oancea is a multi-millionaire worth more than $20 million according to himself, so $18k is not exactly a lot of money for him.
Then there was the time he filed for bankruptcy protection in 2002, his house was foreclosed on in 2010, he has been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and for assaulting his girlfriend. Most importantly, he was indicted on 19 felonies in 2019 because he was using other people’s Social Security numbers to place bets. He consistently denies that he is a fraud, and says that he was banned from betting for being ‘too good’ which is why he pivoted and started selling picks after the 2019 trial – but there’s no smoke without fire and all that.
What’s more, various media companies and individuals have done the math on his picks and even bought them as a test, and found that his claims of genius are exaggerated at best and complete lies at worst. He charges hundreds and thousands of dollars to newbie punters in exchange for his betting ‘expertise’, but there is no evidence that any of his customers have come away with the riches that he promises.
Despite all of this, there is no denying that he has indeed placed some of the biggest sports wagers in history, which is why he is included on this list.
DISCLAIMER: This is not an endorsement of Vegas Dave or his tipping service. We do not recommend you pay him for any of his packages. If you do, you are likely to lose all of your money.
Dave 'Vegas Dave' Oancea's Biggest Bets
Dave Oancea Wins $2.3 Million from $305k Bet on Broncos
By staggering his wagers across 12 different bets, Vegas Dave amassed a total stake of $305k at average odds of 13/2 in favour of the Broncos winning the 2016 Superbowl. His reward if successful, would be more than $2.3 million.
It was a tasty bet for more reasons than the high stakes though, because the Broncos were not the favourites going into the game, but after a very strong first quarter the bet never really looked like losing, and Oancea would be celebrating his second huge win in a matter of months.
Vegas Dave Wins $2.5 Million in 26 Bets on Kansas City Royals World Series
Over a period of 6 months, Vegas Dave placed 26 bets on the Kansas City Royals to win the World Series, spreading his wagers across a number of bookies.
With combined odds of 33/2 and total mon down equating to around $140k, he stood to win almost $2.5 million if successful, and he was confident he would be given the Royal's strong performance in the previous season.
Unlike some of the other big wins Oancea has claimed, this one has been proven to be real, and Dave was ready with a placard and a photographer when it happened.