SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
While international friendlies may not live long in the memory for most, last night’s fixtures will certainly be remembered for a while by one lucky BetVictor customer. Post-graduate student Karla Drew, a promising heptathlete and 100m hurdler who trains with Jessica Ennis-Hill, placed a £5 bet on the outcome of 10 international matches last night and has become £50,000 richer as a result.
Drew, originally from Exeter who attends Sheffield Hallam University, went to bed knowing eight of her 10 selections were already successful but her win wasn’t sealed until the early hours when, in the big one, Panama drew at home to Canada.
The winning amount of £50,045 was substantially more than she would have picked up with any of the other major bookmaking firms, according to BetVictor. Drew said: “This is a life-changing win for me. Being an MSC student, I’m not entitled to any Student Loan. I want to continue my studies and do a PhD in Sports Psychology and this will enable me to realise my dream.
“I was going to go to sleep before the final results came in but I was just too excited so I carried on refreshing the scores in bed. I only started to really believe I would do it with about 10 minutes to go of the Panama vs Canada game. I still can’t believe I have won!”
BetVictor’s Director of Public Relations Charlie McCann said: “Karla acknowledged on Twitter that she faced a sleepless night on Tuesday knowing that eight of her ten selections were winners but she need not have worried. Few football fans will remember the goalless draw between Panama and Canada with quite the same affection as one lucky Sheffield student and it is a fantastic story that her win will enable her to continue her postgraduate studies and long term objective of becoming a sports psychologist.”
