A funny look at some outrageous bets that have been placed down the years from ordinary people trying to make a quick buck or two! by Paul Steven

Betting is a great form of entertainment and its popularity has spiraled since its birth on the internet. People are now having bets on the most bizarre and surreal situations as well as having a flutter on sport betting, political betting and TV show betting especially song contests.

Through the years there has been some outlandish bets made that are the stuff of legend. Here we highlight some unique and sometimes unfortuitous bets.

The Man Who Bet on his own Life

You've heard of 'Cheating Death' what about 'Betting against Death'? Well, Jon Matthews from Milton Keynes did just that. Back in 2007 he was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer and given less than 9 months to live. Defiant Jon made a bet with the bookies of £100 at 50/1 that he would survive the time given for his condition. He did and won £5,000 into the bargain.

I'll Bet My House

Talking about having a premonition! Back in January of 1994, an unnamed man from High Wycombe sold his house for £147,000, bought a plane ticket to Las Vegas and walked in to Binions Horseshoe Casino and placed the entire amount on one spin of the roulette wheel. He put £147,000 on red. The ball settled on seven (red). He had doubled his money and then bought a bigger house.

Bet When The World Ends

This is a good one and perhaps the only strange thing about this bet is the odds. William Hill took a bet that the world would end on the 11th August 1999 at 12:50 pm. William Hill only gave odds of 1,000,000 to 1.

I mean if the punter was right it's going to be pretty darn hard to pick-up his winnings. Bizarre.

The £100,000 Bet For England To Win the World Cup

Back in 2002 when Japan and Korea were hosting the World Cup, England had a team full of stars and Beckam and co were being touted as favourites to win the competition outright. The media, as usual, were caught up in the frenzy of it all as England marched into the Quarter-Finals after beating much fancied Argentina in the group stages and then trouncing Denmark in the 2nd round.

In fact so much was the hype surrounding England that it went straight to one punters head where he placed a bet of £100,000 on England to win the competition. The West Midlands punter staked the six-figure sum at odds of 7/2 at a Ladbrokes shop in Birmingham and expected to win £450,000. Unfortunately, England lost 2 - 1 to Brazil in that Quarter-Final with the brilliance or luck of Ronaldinho being the difference.

And Finally ...

Remember, there is always a possible chance of an outlandish bet coming good. David Threlfal of Preston is testament to that. He placed a bet that Man would walk on the Moon before 1971. When Neil Armstrong planted his big space boot on the Moon's surface, Threlfal was £10,000 richer. Which was a lot of cash back in 1969.

About the Author

Free Betting Online is a great resource for people looking to place free bets from Horse Racing Betting to Political Betting.