Top 5 Biggest Gambling Wins Ever in the UK
We all dream of landing one of the biggest UK gambling wins. Whether that's winning on a progressive jackpot slot at an online casino or beating the bookie against all the odds. With the winnings, we could retire, buy a mansion and sail around the world in a luxury yacht. For inspiration, then, we've rounded up the stories behind the 5 biggest UK gambling wins ever.
We'll be covering those lucky so-and-sos that beat online casinos at their own game, won huge bingo jackpots and claimed some of the biggest sports betting wins of all time. We'll do this in reverse order, from the fifth biggest UK gambling win to the astoundingly huge winnings of the number one most successful bet in the UK. After all, you've got to be in it to win it…
5️⃣ Steve Whiteley – Horse Racing Accumulator Bet – £1.4 Million Win!
We begin with a whopper at the horse races. The incredible accumulator bet happened via a Tote horse racing pool. And the six-selection bet by North Tawton resident Steve Whiteley. The man from Devon put down just £2 on a jackpot bet and needed all six horse races to go his way if he was to reap the rewards. And to give you some idea of how wonderfully he did, here are the odds of each horse: Semi Colon (2 to 1), Black Phantom (12 to 1), Ammunition (16 to 1), Mr Bennett (16 to 1), Lundy Sky (5 to 1) and Lupita (12 to 1). Miraculously, all of them came in!
Steve Whiteley ended up turning that 2 quid into a truly massive win, as reported by The Guardian. In fact, he ended up with the UK's biggest sports betting win, netting him a cool £1,445,671.71. Not a bad return from a day out at the races, we're sure you'll agree. This all happened back in March 2011 and we're not sure if Steve ever placed another bet on horse racing after that. Not that he would ever need to, of course. All of this just goes to show that a very small qualifying bet can end up producing one of the biggest sports betting wins in the United Kingdom. Congrats to Steve!
4️⃣ Neil – Hall of Gods Slot – £6.3 Million Jackpot Win!
For truly big wins, the progressive jackpot slots at the best UK online casinos are the way to go. Known simply as Neil (he kept his surname private), the stars lined up for the Scottish slots player in 2017. Staking just £4 on the online progressive jackpot slot machine Hall of Gods from his home in Aberdeen, Neil went on to scoop the £6.3 million jackpot prize!
There were some stories in the national press at the time of the big win. Neil told the Scottish Sun newspaper that he thought he was being pranked by his family when the slot machine went ballistic and flashed up the massive win. However, after calling his nearest and dearest, it gradually sank in that he was a newly minted millionaire. For just £4, Neil is a hero to us all.
3️⃣ Anonymous Bettor – Mega Moolah Slot – £7.9 Million Jackpot Win!
Our next winner exercised their right to remain anonymous, which is fair enough. All we know about one of the biggest jackpot wins at UK online casinos is that the player goes by the initials DP and everything happened on her Android device one fateful day. And it took place on the record-breaking progressive jackpot slot machine called Mega Moolah. Microgaming progressive jackpots are linked all around the world, of course, but lady luck sure was shining down on the UK when DP saw almost £8 million in virtual coins dance across the screen.
2️⃣ Anonymous Bettor – Gala Bingo – £12 Million Jackpot Win!
Upping the stakes once more, another anonymous bettor took Gala Bingo for a wild ride back in 2016. Again, the life-changing win happened on an Android mobile device. At the time, it was one of the biggest betting wins ever to happen in the UK. Though it fell short of a world record, £12 million is certainly nothing to be sniffed at. Plus, she was playing in bed at the time. How comforting is that?! And we hope the UK player ended up living happily ever after.
1️⃣ Jon Heywood – Mega Moolah Slot – £13.2 Million Jackpot Win!
Yep, the Mega Moolah slot machine is responsible for the biggest betting win in the UK. Microgaming's progressive jackpot slot is responsible for smashing records left, right and centre. But this one is especially amazing given that the initial stake was a measly 25p. British soldier Jon Heywood simply couldn't believe his luck when he landed a massive win of £13.2 million via the online casino game. In fact, he must've been in a state of shock because he told no one about the big win and continued to play for several days before revealing the news.
Jon Heywood's record-breaking win took place in 2016 and is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. And as we write this in January 2023, Cheshire-based Jon Heywood has yet to be topped in terms of prize money – or indeed the most money won from such a small bet. So, we raise a glass to Jon and wish him all the best! Will his record of being one of the biggest winners ever be beaten? Only time will tell on that front. Fingers crossed, everyone!
❇️ Special Mention: John Craggs – Horse Racing Accumulator Bet – £1 Million Win from a 50p Bet!
Finally, we wanted to highlight the story of fertiliser salesman John Craggs – though we're pretty sure he no longer continues in that line of work. Back in 2008, Yorkshireman John Craggs popped into his local William Hill sportsbook shop in Thirsk to lay down an insane bet. To win big, he needed eight separate horse racing events to go his way. The odds he was given at the sports betting shop were 2.8 million to 1. Unperturbed, he stuck 50p on the accumulator.
Of course, the gods granted John his amazing win – all eight runners came in. But he didn't really believe it until he went to a William Hill bookie in Bedale. And even after having everything confirmed, John managed to sit through a family meal for his 60th birthday without saying a word. Eventually, the amazing tale was revealed and the press retold the story. Unfortunately, John's 50p should have won him £1.4 million, but William Hill capped the win at £1 million. Boo to William Hill! Anyway, £1 million from a 50p bet is pretty incredible!
With an education from the University of Cambridge and while working with iGaming for the last 6 years, Stephen has obtained a lot of knowledge about the industry. He usually writes about the different types of online casinos, casino bonuses and various gambling strategies.
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