In addition to being the most popular sport to watch in the world, football is also very popular when it comes to betting. Over the years, people have constructed some crazy bets with massive odds and some of them have paid off.
Below, we’ll take a look at some of the longest-odd winning bets on football of all time. We’ll also take a look at how to create bets that have such long odds, get betting tips, and we’ll look at some different types of football bets.
First, let’s take a look at how the world’s most popular football league works — the English Premier League.
About the English Premier League
Established in February 1992, the Premier League is the highest tier among the English football leagues and has gained tremendous popularity worldwide.
A total of 20 teams compete in 38 matches throughout the season, striving to claim the top spot or achieve the highest ranking possible. The top four teams earn places in the UEFA Champions League, while the fifth, sixth and seventh placed teams qualify for the Europa League and Europa Conference.
At the other end of the table, the bottom three teams face relegation to the league below, known as the Championship, while three teams from the Championship are promoted to the Premier League.
It’s become an addictive league to watch, due in large part to its competitiveness and unpredictability, as well as the talented footballers on display. That can make it interesting to bet on too.
It’s possible to place a wide range of bets on Premier League matches, as well as the competition itself. As we’ll see below, people like to bet on goal scorers, the time of goals, how many goals there’ll be and who might win a competition or match. Let’s take a look at a specific type of bet you can make on football matches.
How do you get the best odds on football
One of the most effective ways to get the best odds on football is to build an accumulator bet.
As we’ll see below, this is the method adopted by some of the people who have had big wins on football bets over the years.
An accumulator is simply a single bet that’s made up of lots of dependent parts. For the bet to win, all the individual stakes need to succeed. For example, you could bet on Arsenal to beat Chelsea, Aston Villa to beat Leicester and Everton to beat Liverpool. To win the bet, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Everton will all need to win.
Due to the fact you need to correctly call the results of three fixtures, which is harder to do, you’ll find you’ll get much greater odds than if you bet on each individual game separately.
For a sportsbook to offer you significant odds on an accumulator bet, there will generally be a high number of fixtures or separate bets that make it up. For even greater odds, choose underdogs! The only problem is that the more components the bet has the harder it is to win.
However, many sportsbooks and betting sites allow you to cash out of accumulator bets before the race has been run. Therefore, keep an eye on the cash-out offers they give you — it could be worth taking the money.
The longest-odd winning bets on football ever
As we know, you can get some serious odds on football bets. One of the biggest payouts in football ever came in 2001. A roofer from Staffordshire known as Mick Gibbs placed a 30p bet on a 15-fold accumulator which had odds of 1.6 million to one.
The bet was fairly speculative as it consisted of predicting the winners of all four leagues in English football as well as the National League. It also featured the winners of the Champions League and Rugby Union Premiership, among others.
From his 30p stake, Mick Gibbs took home £500,000.
There was a bigger win in 2016 though. Daman Chick placed a £5 bet on the Euro 2016 final. He predicted that the Portuguese player Eder would score in the 109th minute. The bet was so speculative that he walked away with a £1m payout.
2016 was a lucky year for some as another big win came when a restaurant staff member placed a mega accumulator that included matches from all over the globe. The bet won in dramatic fashion with the final leg decided by a 94th-minute winner. The payout he received was £180,000.