‘I’ll toss you for it…’
if you’re wondering who said the above, it’s Kerry Packer, Australian media tycoon and all round notorious gambler.
Over 10 months, Packer was reported to have lost nearly $40 million, with $28 million coming from a 3 week streak in London. Packer was most famous for shutting up a Texan tycoon when bragging about his $100 million fortune as a means of attracting an attractive woman.
‘Toss you for it,’ Packer quipped to the gloating Texan, betting him his complete net worth. Rumour has it he walked away with his tail between his legs.
This is what we’re looking for; this kind of gambling insanity, where money is literally no object. A potential $100 million loss for bragging rights; Packer didn’t care, he just wanted to win.
Well, Luckynuggetcasino.com is about to take a look at some bets that are just as ballsy as Packers! Take a look at some more betting legends below.
The Meltdown Of Zhenil Ye Gon!
$125 million in the hole. ‘Mr. Ye’, as he is affectionately known, has lost so much money of the years, he’s become notorious for being one of the worst gamblers on the strip.
Reports do suggest though, that he was a drugs trafficker. He’s also now in prison, so you know, this was probably small change for Mr. Yan. When police raided his home they found $200 million in assets. So yeah, he’s pretty wadded.
Watanabe’s Woeful Casino Crusade
Watanabe is potentially one of the worst gamblers ever to grace this planet, after losing $127 million on the Las Vegas strip in just one year. We’ve already covered this story in another article, but yeah, we really was that bad.
This is thought to be one of the worst records in gambling history, and resulted in Watanabe losing his entire fortune. 20 years of wealth accumulation disappearing in one year.
Tottenham Hotspur Fan’s Gambling Nightmare
In 2001, keen to impress his new girlfriend, decided to put his entire mortgage on Tottenham Hotspur – his favourite English Premier League team – to win, which was 3-0 up at the halfway point. Sounds like a safe bet, right?
Well, no. Manchester United had a habit of big comebacks, and for this flash fast-thinking sports fan the worst thing that could happen, happened. Manchester United came back to win 5-3 in the second half, leaving the man broke, homeless and most probably single. Ah well, fortune favours the brave, ey.
The clairvoyant from Wales wins big!
Some Welsh bloke decided it would be a good idea to walk into a ladbrokes and place this incredibly peculiar bet back in 1989:
All the below would occur by the year 2000:
Cliff Richard to be knighted
U2 to remain as a pop group
British soap Eastenders to be shown on the BBC every week
Home and Away to still be shown on the British TV
The odds: 6,479/1
Nobody in the world expected this crazy bloke from Wales to see any return on his £30 investment. Well, how stupid were we! 11 years later he returned to the bookies to collect his winnings of – take a deep breath – £194,440.
Honestly, you think you could beat that?
Percy Cunliffe and his merry men bag $18 million!
There was once this group of like-minded people called The Hermits of Salisbury Plain, who were a group of 5 of the biggest gamblers at the start of the 1900s. Led by their leader Percy Cunliffe, the group were incredibly successful at betting on horses trained at Druid’s Lodge Stables, which was based on the Salisbury Plain.
One of the Hermits’ horses did particularly well one day and won the 1903 Cambridgeshire Race. This netted the gang £250,000 – or £10 million (AUD$18 million) in today’s money. Not bad for a dabble on the horses!
Captain Matthew Webb Swimming The Channel Tunnel
In 1875, a magical thing happened in Britain. Webb became the first man to swim across the English Channel.
After accomplishing this amazing feat things took for a turn for the worst financially. He was in dire straits at the time, and was offered $10,000 to swim across the Niagara Falls, which was most definitely a risk to his life.
Unfortunately for Webb, he failed and perished. Brave though, a very brave man!
So, yeah, those are some pretty ballsy bets indeed. What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever bet on? Let us know in the comments section below!
