Football is undoubtedly the most popular sport, with billions of fans globally. Interestingly, football, or soccer as some call it, was once an amateur sport played for leisure. It wasn’t until the 19th century that professional football teams were created. These days major clubs from Europe compete for top honors in association championships such as the Premier League and La Liga. Soon, national teams began to compete in the World Cup, which seems to be the most significant trophy in the football world. Regardless of the competition, football has moved beyond being a regular sport to become a global phenomenon. With so many investors investing sizable amounts in this franchise, and fans staking their money on games hoping to make extra cash, football is now a thriving high-revenue industry.
Football betting
Betting has always gone hand in hand with football, as with many other popular sports. Sports wagering, in general, has witnessed a significant volume of growth in recent years, football being a primary driver. The ease of access, anonymity and multiple wagering options brought about by the introduction of online bookmakers have further fueled the expansion of football betting, in addition to the sport’s rapidly growing popularity and value.
Given the intense rivalry in the sports wagering market, several bookmakers are now attempting to convince bettors to wager on their platforms by providing juicy offers and features. Most bookies now offer various incentives, bonuses, and competitive odds to attract more bettors. You can check out Parimatch football betting odds for one of the most favorable odds in the football wagering market.
Although football betting used to be dominant in Europe and its environs, it has also gained prominence in other countries today. Online accessibility has played a very significant role in this, especially in countries like India, where bettors have had to battle with legal restrictions before the emergence of offshore bookies. These offshore bookies, which can be easily accessed online, have allowed punters in these countries to wager on their favorite football events as they are not classified as illegal by law.
Different individuals view football betting differently. Few people do it for fun, while most people wager in hopes of winning money. There have been some outrageous football wagers in the history of the sport, as some bettors took crazy risks and ended up making records with the massive jackpot they won.
Crazy football bets in history
There are many ways to place a wager on football, but one of the most common ones involves predicting whether a team will win or lose by specific points in a game. Wagering on a game’s final score is also another option in football betting. Football betting is a market where massive amounts of money can be won and lost. Down the history lane of football wagering, there have been unique cases where some bettors won unbelievable returns from wagers that seemed impossible. One of such was the Mick Gibbs wager in 2001.
The Mick Gibbs bet
The Mick Gibbs wager has been termed the biggest in football betting history. Mick Gibbs won £500,000 in 2001 after wagering only 30 Pounds on a total of 1.6 million odds. The bet had a 0.00000006 percent chance of winning, making it rather ridiculous. Gibbs won this wager by accurately predicting the champions of all four professional English football leagues and the Conference (National League), and the winners of the County Championship in cricket and the Premiership in Rugby Union. In 1999, the same Mick Gibbs predicted nine football games throughout Europe and won an astonishing £157,000 on the accumulator bet.
Another big wager in football history was a single bet on Leicester to win the Premier League in 2016. By winning the championship, Claudio Ranieri’s team pulled off one of the greatest and most unexpected upsets in history. The bettor who cashed out in March made nearly £72,000 from a £50 wager. He would have earned a total of £250,000 if he had seen the wager through to the end of that season. However, another supporter also wagered £5 on this improbable occurrence, cashed out £2 of it for £5,600, and the remaining £3 returned £15,000 in May, yielding a total windfall of £20,600. The list is virtually limitless when it comes to outlandish profits in the world of football wagering. Numerous punters who staked as little as 50 pounds have won hundreds of thousands, and many still win big today.
Conclusion
Football betting is prevalent today as the sport is prominent worldwide. Over the years, some individuals are fortunate to win occasional outrageous wagers, leading to massive and record-breaking profits. Don’t forget to visit Parimatch for the best football betting odds.
