Steve Powell // Getty Images US hockey team stuns the Soviet UnionĬoming into the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, the Soviet Union’s hockey team had won the gold medal in four straight Olympic Games. Bear in mind, the young McIlroy was only 15 at the time, and the oddsmakers were more than happy to take the bet.Ĭut to 10 years later-McIlroy wound up winning the British Open by two strokes in 2014, netting his father around $342,000. The bet, in British pounds, was only $557-but the odds were +50,000. In 2004, Gerry McIlroy placed a bet on his son that within 10 years, he would win the Open Championship, otherwise known as the British Open.

For golf pro Rory McIlroy, his father took things to a whole other level. If you hit that parlay just right, you’ll have a chance of being added to this prestigious list of gamblers who simply defied the odds, and logic, for the greatest wins in sports betting history.ĭavid Cannon//R&A via Getty Images Golfer’s dad bets big on son’s successĪs every dad understands, belief in your son’s abilities knows no bounds. The next time you come across a longshot, remember these unbelievable stories.

To keep things simple and clear away the clutter, researchers focused on major news outlets to find inspiring, exhilarating, and breathtaking sports gambling stories that will leave you awestruck. Everyone knows someone who hit it big or just missed out and has long-winded stories of “what ifs.” But this isn’t about mythology.ī culled the legends and found 10 of the biggest longshot wins in sports betting history. There are hundreds of tall tales around the world of sports gambling. With underdogs come long sports-betting odds and with long sports betting odds come massive wins with heartwarming stories and some massive losses that lead to real heartache. Underdog stories inspire tales of greatness, heroics, and some of the best-and worst-sports gambling losses of all time.

Biggest gambling wins of all time