I’m trying to recall the largest possible payout I have ever experienced as a sports better. It is probably around the $5,000 mark. Well, I have now been put to shame by a Sportsbet punter who has placed a $700 bet on Tom Scully to win the Brownlow Medal at 1501-1 odds. If this punter is right he/she will pocket $1,050,000!
You could call this sheer lunacy, with the punter facing a 0.99933% chance of losing $700, presuming the odds are correct. Having said that, the odds of a million dollar windfall are much better than if you spent $750 on Lottery tickets. Ignoring the time value of money, this bet is equivalent to spending $14.42 per week on the Lotteries for one year.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the AFL, Tom Scully is the number one draft pick this year. The Brownlow Medal is awarded to the “fairest and best” player in the AFL during the regular season.