I’d call it responsible gambling. And my main advice would be “don’t try this at home”. But I’d prefer to call this a reasoned wager. For me it was almost an investment.
I made the bet in four instalments but I’d always planned to wage £900,000. I staggered it in the hope that the odds would improve closer to the time – they didn’t. The best I got was 1-4. So for every £4 I bet, I’d get £5 back.
So although I received a cheque for £1,093,333.33, my actual winnings were just under £200,000.
The first time I walked in to the William Hill I tried to place a bet of £400,000. The bookies weren’t set up to take it. They could only process £9,000 deposits at a time so it would have taken almost a whole day of separate transactions. By the time we organised a better solution the next day, the odds had worsened.
More here – BBC News Magazine
Despite all the rationalization he bet for a 0.25 gain on a 50/50 outcome. Don’t try this at home indeed! Unless, of course, a million quid means nothing to you one way or the other
I agree with Nick, the bet came off this time but not a risk / reward equation I would feel comfortable with. You would need an exceptional win / loss ratio to stay in the game long term.