A WEST Belfast punter took bookmaker Paddy Power for a cool one hundred grand after pulling off what our sports tipster has branded “the bet of the decade”.
Paddy Power will only say that the bet was struck in West Belfast on Monday, but we understand that the lucky local man did the bet at the pitch on the Suffolk Road.
For just a £7.50 stake the anonymous local punter won £82,319,24, but his elation wasn’t over. When he went to pick up his winnings he was told that the bet was subject to a 20 per cent bonus, bringing the total payout to just short of £100,000.
While there was a lot of luck involved in the unbelievable win, there was a fair amount of betting savvy too, according to our Punters Guide.
The shortest price in the bet was a hefty 12/1 and in fact two of his nags came home at that rewarding price. But it was the big outsiders that pumped up that payout. Camerooney won at a hefty 22/1, while his final sweat – Compton Prince, a 33/1 shot – got up in a thrilling sprint finish to leave the local man stunned and ecstatic.
The ‘Lucky 15’ bet which won the punter his money is very popular with local gamblers and our Punters Guide often has stories of elation in his weekly column – and even more of deflation.
“Fair play to the guy,” said Punters Guide. “To get one long shot up is good luck, and of course the gambling gods smiled on him on the day.
“But to get four horses up at odds like that suggests to me that this fella certainly knew what he was doing. He’s in for a good Christmas. My best Christmas present would be if he would let me in on his secret.”
