'Biggest loss ever': Betting agency's multi-million dollar disaster on Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods’ remarkable Masters victory has seen three different betting agencies pay out over $1 million to punters.
William Hill, FanDuel and DraftKings are each reporting losses over the $1 million mark after Tiger shocked the sporting world at Augusta.
Tiger was a despised outsider among betting agencies heading into the Masters, sitting at 14-1 with most sportsbooks.
But punters parted with their cash in record numbers over the juicy odds, with one whacking a whopping US$85,000 on Tiger ($118,500 AU).
That astonishing bet resulted in William Hill’s biggest-ever payout for a golf bet in the US, with the punter swooping around $1.66m.
“It’s rare that someone bets that much on something like that,” said the company’s sportsbook director Nick Bogdanovich.
“It’s great to see Tiger back. It’s a painful day for William Hill — our biggest golf loss ever — but a great day for golf.
“We pay it out and move on. We have so many bets coming in.”
Bogdanovich said William Hill had no previous history with the punter and didn’t know who they were.
“After Friday, gamblers couldn’t get enough,” Bogdanovich said. “They just kept betting him.”
Meanwhile, DraftKings said their losses were close to $2million, with more than $1million coming from a refund promised to fantasy players if Tiger won.
“Tiger winning is good for the sport and good for our customers,” said Mike Raffensperger, chief marketing officer for FanDuel.
Greatest comeback ever?
Tiger completed one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history with a come-from-behind win at Augusta National.
The deafening roars at Augusta were cathartic for fans who feared they would never see Woods win another major after years of career-threatening injuries and off-course scandals.
But on an overcast Sunday at Augusta, Woods sent the sporting wold into meltdown by claiming a fifth Masters green jacket and 15th major title.
Aged 43 and now the world No.6, Woods’ first major win in 11 years has him just three off Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18.
Woods was glad to be wearing Augusta’s green jacket over his trademark Sunday red shirt once again – 14 years after his epic 2005 Augusta triumph.
It will go down as a where-were-you moment.
“Well, I know where I was,” Woods joked in a winning press conference beamed to the world.
with AAP
