Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Harrison Moore & Lorraine King

Football fan gobsmacked by surprise text saying he'd won £5,000 - and it wasn't a scam

A footie fan had no idea he'd won £5,504 on a week's set of fixtures - after forgetting he'd put on a £10 free bet.

Ryan Porter, 26, put on a 10 team accumulator on April 20 using a tenner he'd been awarded by Bet UK.

He then forgot about the bet, and wasn't reminded until he got a text from the betting firm saying he'd won big.

At first Ryan thought it was a scam, but after checking his account history, he remembered the flutter.

Ryan, from Chingford, East London, said: "I was just sitting at home watching TV, when I got a text saying I'd won five and a half grand.

"I was baffled, and it wasn't until I physically checked my betting history that I remembered about the free bet."

Ryan was awarded the £10 from Bet UK after gambling on the Grand National a week earlier.

With the money, he decided to build a 10 team accumulator on football fixtures taking place across Europe's top five leagues.

The list included the likes of Chelsea vs Brentford, Man City vs Arsenal, AC Milan vs Lecce and Fulham vs Aston Villa.

After placing the bet while watching sport on TV - he then completely forgot about it.

Five days later, while relaxing at home, he received a text from Bet UK stating his account had been credited £5,504.

Originally, Ryan was sure it was a scam, but after checking his bet history, he remembered placing the free bet.

The telephone engineer has just bought his first home, and says he plans to use the money to refurbish his bathroom.

Ryan said: "I bet on the results of 10 fixtures across last week using the bet Bet UK had gifted me.

"I wasn't holding out much hope, as the chance of guessing ten correct scores with those sorts of fixtures was pretty slim.

"I then forgot all about it, so when the games were actually playing, I wasn't keeping track of the scores.

"If I'd have known I had a bet on, as more and more results came in, I probably would have been really nervous - but I was clueless.

"Then I received this text after the last of the ten games had been played, and my gut reaction was it was a scam.

"But I checked my account just in case, and my balance actually read £5,504.

"That's when I looked at my betting history and it all came flooding back to me - there were ten green ticks beside each fixture.

"I'm going to use the money to do up my bathroom in the house I've just bought. The money has come at a great time."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.