Meet the King of Football Accumulators – Best and worst sports bets ever
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Meet the King of Football Accumulators -
Best and worst sports bets ever
Every week, bookmaker and former Racing Post chief sports betting writer Mark Worwood takes you inside the wagering industry with tales of the best and worst bets of all time.
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English punter Mick Gibbs is the undisputed king of football accumulators after a 30p multiple bet that he placed in August 2000 took £500,000 off William Hill in May 2025.
Gibbs walked into his local William Hill licensed betting office and, not content with rolling up three of the next weekend’s football matches, backed 12 more teams to win a range of cricket, rugby union and football competitions. Mindful of William Hill’s maximum payout of £500,000, he staked his bet so as not to break it. Obviously, he was confident that his 15-leg multiple would go all the way.
Arsenal, Hibernian and Falkirk won their league games versus Liverpool, Aberdeen and Inverness respectively to get off Gibbs to the best possible start. With the English and Scottish football seasons having just kicked off, he picked out the sides that he thought would win the English Premier League, English First Division, English Second Division, English Third Division, English Conference, Scottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division titles. Manchester United, Fulham, Millwall, Brighton, Rushden and Diamonds, Livingston, Partick and Hamilton justified the support of Gibbs, although it was a close-run thing in the Scottish Third Division championship race, Hamilton edging out Cowdenbeath on goal difference.
In cricket, Gibbs selected Surrey to win County Championship Division One and Gloucestershire to win the NatWest Trophy. Both tournaments were in their latter stages at the time that he placed his accumulator but his picks needed to get the job done. Surrey won the league title by 20 points, while Gloucestershire beat Warwickshire in the knockout final by 22 runs courtesy of the Duckworth-Lewis method.
And in rugby union, Gibbs put his small change on Leicester taking out the English Premiership. The Tigers, one of the English game’s biggest names, were eight points clear at the top of the ladder following the final round of matches.
Gibbs had landed 14 of his 15 legs before the UEFA Champions League final between Bayern Munchen and Valencia kicked off in Milan. Even though he stood to win £500,000 if Bayern won the trophy and the German Bundesliga giant was the marginal favourite, he did not back Valencia to guarantee himself a handsome payout. He let more than £250,000 ride on Bayern.
Too nervous to watch the title decider, Gibbs tracked the action on one of British television’s teletext services. He said that he felt sick when news of Gaizka Mendieta’s early penalty goal for Valencia filtered through. Stefan Effenberg equalised for Bayern from 12 yards five minutes into the second half and that was the end of the scoring in normal time and extra time. Valencia took an early lead in the penalty competition but consecutive misses enabled Bayern to get back on level terms. Bayern led 5-4 when now Valencia boss Mauricio Pellegrino stepped up to take the 14th penalty of the shootout. Oliver Kahn guessed the right way and saved Pellegrino’s kick. Munich and an English punter went beserk.
Why is Gibbs the king of football accumulators? Well, two years earlier, he scooped £157,400 from a £2.50 bet when Manchester United broke the hearts of Bayern in the UEFA Champions League thanks to two stoppage-time goals.
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Would you have laid off some of the accumulator on Valencia had it been your multiple bet?
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