Gambling is a sport that’s been dabbled in throughout the ages – it’s also one that has made many punters popular for both their winning and losing bets. In this article, we will take a look at 10 of the most famous bettors in the history of horse racing, where they took a punt on one of the craziest tips where they actually paid out.
- William Benter (Bill Benter)
Mr. Benter is a renowned horse-racing punter who used technology to play in his favour. He developed software that helped him to beat the Hong Kong Horse Racing market and he walked away with millions of pounds in his pocket.
- Alan Woods
Noted as a pioneer in computer betting syndicates, this Australian bettor increased his popularity when he took Hong Kong racing by storm. Alan is now deceased but during his “reign”, he was listed as one of the top three gamblers in the world.
- Zeljko Ranogajec
Generating an annual turnover of averaging $1 billion, Ranogajec does more than just “dabble” in the races. He takes his betting seriously and is a legend in the gambling industry as a whole.
- Edward E. Thorp
Known as the Father of Card Counting, Thorp devised card-counting schemes to improve players’ odds. He was eventually banned from the tables and horse betting but went ahead to use his equations in the stock market.
- Billy Walters
Born and bred in Kentucky, Walters was raised in a family of avid gamblers. He made his first bet at the age of 9 and by the age of 40, he was running his own bookmaking service (which was illegal in Kentucky at the time).
- Kerry Packer
After inheriting his family’s fortune, Kerry Packer began his gambling career in the 1970s. As an expert in horse racing, he placed most of his bets on horses. It was his obsession with table games, however, that brought in his added fortune.
- David Walsh
David Walsh is a professional gambler who developed his own winning system for gambling. Horse racing was his passion but he also dabbled in a variety of other sports. Zeljko Ranogajec and Walsh are best friends and have been known to make most of their betting decisions together.
- Harry Findlay
More renowned for his reckless betting than his winning streaks, Harry Findlay made the highlights in 2007 when he wagered £2.5m on New Zealand to win the Rugby World Cup. Findlay shrugged the loss off but his friends and family remained wounded.
- Perce Galea
Born in Malta, Galea was drawn to gambling from a young age. He eventually became known as King of Punters in Australian horseracing. Not only did he walk away with many substantial pay-outs but he also became the owner of many (illegal) casinos in the 50s and 60s.
- Eric Connolly
In the early 1900s, Eric Connolly became famous for bringing in an estimated £250,000 in bets. As a horse trainer, he knew the ropes well and invested as much time into punting as he did into training.
