Gambling has provided people with some incredible moments over the years. Not just in terms of big wins, but also in terms of some of the best stories ever to be heard. Even hearing about someone else having a big win can give you a sense of excitement. It’s why some of the best movies ever are based in casinos. We’ve taken a look at some of our favorite gambling stories of all time. Keep reading to revel in their magic.
Big Win off Small Stake
Almost all of the best gambling stories, center around players grabbing huge prizes from small bets. This always gets the most attention from people, and it provides the most joy. As is often the case when it comes to big slot wins, this story is based around Mega Moolah. It’s undoubtedly one of the biggest paying slots of all time, and it has made a huge number of millionaires over the years. If you fancy your chances at grabbing a big win with Mega Moolah, then you can find online casinos that have it available at https://www.norgescasino.com/.
The story starts in a relatively normal way. Jon Heywood had been a Lance Corporal in the British army. He’d served all over the world, including in Afghanistan. After leaving the forces, he got a civilian job and settled into normal life. However, he didn’t know that 2015 would be the year that his life would change forever.
In October of that year, he decided that he would try out Mega Moolah. He knew it had a large progressive jackpot available, but he didn’t really think he would win it. He just wanted to pass the time for a little while and if he got lucky and made a small profit then it would be a bonus.
He sat at the machine, deposited £30, which is around $40, and set his stake. He played at the relatively low stake of £0.25 per spin. He had a few small wins as he played and watched his bankroll falling, and rising. He’d been playing for between 5 and 10 minutes when his life changed forever.
The reels spun and fell, it wasn’t anything special but then the jackpot round started. Jon had seen this many times before. The jackpot round started, but he had walked away with one of the smaller prizes. This time though, things were a little bit different. He played the round, and all of a sudden, the game told him he had won the maximum jackpot. More than £13 million was paid out to him.
What makes Mega Moolah different from lots of video slots at online casinos, is that there isn’t a limit on how much can be withdrawn. Jon hadn’t just won a big prize that he could slowly withdraw over the next few months. He had become an instant millionaire. Not only that, but he had done it on stakes of just £0.25.
Jon kept his win to himself for a while, he even carried on working for a little bit, but finally he made it known that he’d grabbed the big win. Jon had made history by grabbing a huge win from such a small stake. He also made one of the most impressive gambling stories ever.
Fly me to the Moon
The moon landings are one of the most iconic events in history. It put 1969 into the history books, and it helped the US to win the race to land on the moon. However, there’s also another lesser-known story that goes hand in hand with this. It’s the story of David Threlfall.
In 1964 David had belief that man would land on the moon sooner rather than later. While it was still seen as unlikely at this point, David could feel it in his bones. That’s why he made his way to his local bookmakers, William Hill, and he asked for the odds on a man landing on the moon before 1971.
William Hill offered him odds of 1,000 to 1. David felt that this was worth a bet, and he placed £10 on it. While this might not seem like a lot now, this was the equivalent to £155 in today’s money. It meant that David was set to bag a big prize if the rocket landed on the moon in time.
When that fateful day took place David went straight to William Hill, and he claimed his winnings, which amounted to £10,000. What is best about this story, is that it’s one of the few cases where someone makes what they feel to be an outlandish bet, and it ends up winning.
There are a few cases of this happening across the world, with lots of people placing bets on their children becoming pro athletes, and winning. Despite this, landing on the moon is definitely one of the most impressive bets of all time.
What makes this bet even more impressive, is that even if it comes out in the future that the moon landing was faked, David won’t have to pay back his winnings. William Hill agreed to pay out, and that means the bet is all his now. It’s a great story, and one that could make us all look twice at some of the crazier bets that are available out there.
