Agonising moment gambler realises a couple of minutes cost him £800,000
A football fan is kicking himself after losing out on a life-changing win by just a matter of minutes.
Scaffolder Ethan Conway, 24, admits he gambles on matches most weekends.
But on the last day of the Premier League season he bet £219 on three precise scores, including Liverpool 2-0 Wolves and Sheffield United 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur.
But the problem came with the Brighton vs Manchester United match.
He cashed out for £5,130 when the score was still 1-0 to Man U. He was over the moon, believing he’d had a good day.
Then, in the 88th minute of the match, Rasmus Højlund scored.
That meant that if he had waited just a few more minutes, and with odds of 3,717/1, he would have walked away with £814,000.
Ethan, from Mountain Ash, South Wales, said: ‘I was just tamping really [Welsh for proper raging]. Just heartbroken – disbelief if anything.
‘I was looking at new cars, new houses, but obviously it’s a different story now. My family and friends were in disbelief as well.
‘But obviously they’re happy that I won the five grand.’
Despite betting most weekends, this is the first time he’s won as much as £5,000.
He says this experience has left him feeling that there’s no chance he’ll be at the bookies anytime soon.
He said: ‘I just had a rough guess and it just came in. Just pure luck.
‘I’ve come out of it now. I’ve just won that and run.
‘I’ll have to get over this one first. It’s just the 50/50 chance of it – you either cash out or you don’t.
‘I’m just gutted really.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.