Punter earns £240,000 after cashing in France
A gambling genius has won £240,000, after cashing in his seven-team accumulator moments before France were beaten in the World Cup final.
American Daniel Forte had backed Les Bleus to lift the trophy as part of a £21 bet he placed in March.
Forte correctly predicted that Manchester City would win the Premier League.
He also tipped AC Milan to win Serie A and Los Angeles FC to lift the MLS Cup.
Other notable selections included the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Finals, the Colorado Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup in ice hockey, and Kansas to win the NCAA basketball tournament.
Forte won $557,770 (£457,738) if France completes the final stage of his acca at odds of 21,453-1.
But in an inspired decision, he opted to collect $283,583 – £240,000 – just hours before Didier Deschamps’ men lost on penalties to Argentina.
Which is a result that would have left the Nevada punter with nothing.
Forte said: “Thank God I got paid. Otherwise I would have left on a stretcher with a heart attack.
“There was a lot of reflection and a lot of conversation with my family.
“We decided to take the £283,000 payment and turn my life around.”