10)
In an attemt to impress his girlfriend, a Tottenham Spurs fan betted his entire mortgage on his team to win the game against Manchester United at the moment they are up 3-0. Unfortunately the end result of the match was 3-5. This was in 2001
9)
In 1936 pro golfer Leonard Dodson wagered a wealthy man in San Antonio, Texas fifty bucks that he could play 3 holes of the local course in eighteen strokes using a six-iron and a tennis ball(!). Of course the businessman took the bet. What he didn’t know was that Dodson was able to hit a ball from his knees, one leg, and even blindfolded. Dodson finished in 16 strokes.
8)
Arthur King Robinson (91 years old) betted £500 that he would be dead by the end of the year. If he died that year, his wife would face a nasty inheritance tax bill that could lead to her losing their house. UK Bookie William Hill offered him 6-1. William Hill ket the 500 Pounds when Arthur was still alive and kicking twelve months later.
7)
In 2007 Londoner Ashley Revell sold all his possesssions, his car and his home to put it all on red at the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas. When the roulette wheel started to spin, Ashley putted $135,300 on red. This is what happened:
6)
In 1907 Harry Bensley (again a Londoner) betted 21,000 GBP that he could walk round the world without being recognised. Bensley had to wear a mask the whole trip, paying his way by selling pictures of himself. During his travel, he also had to find a bride, push a pram and carry only one change of underwear! The story tells he was on his way back home in 1914 when he reached Italy and World War One broke out. This ended the trip.
5)
In 1960, David Threlfall put 10 GBP on odds of 1,000/1 that a man would walk on the surface of the moon before the end of the decade. At that time the bookies thought he was a complete idiot. Nine years later David came to collect 10,000 Pounds.
4)
In 1998 Professional gambler Brian Zembic took on a $100,000 bet that he couldn’t last a year with breast implants. Apparantly he never had them removed…
3)
Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel (in 1875) betted his own life against 10,000 USD to swim across the whirlpool below Niagara Falls. Over 10,000 people came to watch his attempt, but halfway across Webb threw up his arms and was drawn underwater to his death.
2)
At a local cardgame, Andrei Karpov needed some extra funding and offered up his own wife as collateral. Allright… When the winner of the game Sergei Brodov tried to collect his ‘winnings’, Karpov’s wife Tatiana was so angry, she honoured the bet. She divored Karpov and took off with Brodov.
1)
Matthew Dumbrell placed a bet at incredible odds of 1,000,000/1 that the world would end before the year 2000.
Now let’s suppose he won this bet… How would dear Matthew have collected his fortune?