It was a story that made the rounds on sports betting Twitter: a bettor placed a $25 16-leg NFL parlay to win $726,959 at BetMGM. They then saw 15 legs win, and it all came down to whether the Detroit Lions could upset the Green Bay Packers. Aside from Packers fans, it was hard not to root for this long-shot bettor. We all saw a bit of ourselves in them, even though we still don’t know who they are. After all, it’s the stuff sports betting dreams are made of. And the 16th leg losing is just too devastating to imagine.
But Then The 16 Leg Parlay Lost
The Green Bay Packers handily defeated the Detroit Lions. The bettor placed a moneyline bet, so the points didn’t matter. But that was even more devastating, as the points spread was +18.5 at BeMGM.
Just like that, it seemed like that fairytale 16 leg parlay to turn $25 into $726,959 came to a tragic end. It was as if Cinderella never ended up with the Prince. It was like a knight that slayed a dragon, only to trip and fall on his sword.
Then BetMGM Came Through
But then something magical happened. According to John Ewing, data analyst at BetMGM (@johnewing on Twitter), the team at BetMGM couldn’t let this bettor walk away with nothing. Instead, BetMGM gave them $133,000 in winnings for the $25 wager. Sure, the bettor would’ve won more if the 16th leg had won. But they also won a lot more than the $0 they must have thought they’d ended up with.
Props to BetMGM for still giving them an awesome payday. A $25 bet turning into $133,000 is still incredible ROI, and it should inspire bettors everywhere to go for some low-stakes but high-reward parlay wagers.
And As A Bonus…
Best of all? The $25 wager was placed using a free bet sports betting bonus, so it wasn’t even the bettor’s own money that they were putting up for that huge win. Unbelievable story. It’s like the movie Rudy (1993) – if he not only played in the end, but ended up getting a six-figure salary from Notre Dame too.
To quote the Rudy movie poster: “Sometimes, a winner is a dreamer who just won’t quit.” Now those are words to live by, and I hope bettors everywhere (and the Detroit Lions) take them to heart.
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