Against all odds
A DraftKings bettor is thanking his lucky stars after securing a major payday from a $0.53 wager on the NBA.
included every game on Wednesday’s NBA schedule
The 12-leg parlay bet, which came courtesy of an Instagram user by the name of @chief.reef_, included every game on Wednesday’s NBA schedule. Later that day, Bleacher Report’s betting-focused Twitter account shared the successful wager, deeming it “what dreams are made of”:
Not only did each of the picks come through for the bettor, the final leg won as the result of a buzzer beater from the Detroit Pistons. Saddiq Bey hit a wild three-pointer with one second left to give the Pistons the win in their game against the Golden State Warriors, moments after Klay Thompson tied it with his own three. The game ended 122-119, securing the parlay bettor $1,003.48 from a throwaway wager.
The stars aligned
A correct parlay involving 12 games in one day is the type of luck most bettors can only dream of – never mind the bet switching becoming a winner in the final second of the final game. That wasn’t the only moment the bet went down to the wire either.
Mobley hit a jumper with four seconds left on the clock
The Cleveland Cavaliers only beat the Phoenix Suns by two points in a tight contest that also included a basket in the dying embers of the game. In fact, the Cavaliers trailed for most of the second half, but Evan Mobley hit a jumper with four seconds left on the clock to claim victory.
In a similarly close-fought affair, the Indiana Pacers blew a late lead and fell in overtime to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Pacers were up by four points in regulation and needed just one stop or one bucket to win with 57 seconds on the clock. Thankfully for our bettor, the 76ers ended up evening up the score and bested the Pacers by three points in OT at 129-126.
Elsewhere, the Milwaukee Bucks almost ruined the entire bet when they blew a 21-point lead with around four minutes left against the Toronto Raptors. Gary Trent Jr. hit a three with less than a second left to take the game to overtime before the Bucks managed to seal the 104-101 win and keep the wager afloat.
Parlay bettors galore
While turning $0.53 into $1,003 is certainly impressive, how about securing a $283,538 payday from a single wager? One bettor did just that during the recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar with a seven leg parlay involving sports leagues and competitions around the world.
Bleacher report shared the cashed-out wager to its Twitter account:
US resident Daniel Forte staked $26 on his parlay wager and correctly predicted six sporting outcomes in 2022, including Kansas to win the NCAA Mens Basketball Championship and Manchester City to win the English Premier League. He just needed France to win the World Cup to secure a $557,000 payday from the bet.
As most sports fans know by now, France didn’t claim the win after losing out to Argentina in the soccer competition’s final. Lucky for Forte, he decided to cash out before the final, securing himself the six-figure returns.