Betting when done responsibly is an entertaining pursuit. Typically in Britain, betting is very widespread, with a penchant for horse racing. The wealth of history, sixty licenced racecourses and media attention makes horse racing the keystone of the UK betting industry. Many bettors are eager to part with their cash backing their favourites. So when does a flutter at the races really pay off?

Although disheartening, in reality it is not likely many of us will beat the bookie. By beating the bookmaker I mean making a considerable profit over the time we bet with them – usually they come out on top. We recognise this, but still bet as we have the confidence that we will be the next lucky one to gain a fortune. This is the fun of betting and for me is fulfilling, as long as I bet within my means, betting is fun. So let us take a look at some lucky people that placed a small bet and walked away with a fortune…

4th place – £9 stake gains £345k
Bookie: Ladbrokes
Bet type: Combination of singles, doubles and an each-way accumulator.
Date: Circa Jan 2011
Stake: £9
Won: £345,000
The 88 year old that only began betting at 85, planned to rejoice with a short cruise 8 miles up the coast followed by a sausage and mash dinner.

3rd place – £1 stake wins £353k
Bookie: William Hill
Bet type: Seven-horse each-way accumulator
Date: Circa May 2011
Stake: £1
Won: £353,000
To begin with he thought he had won about £21,000, when he saw his balance he had to ask his son to translate the numbers for him, confirming it was a lot more than he anticipated!

2nd place – £2 stake bags £1.4 million
Bookie: Tote Sport
Bet type: All six winners at Exeter to scoop the Tote Jackpot.
Date: Circa March 2011
Stake: £2
Won: £1.4 million
This 61 year old heating engineer said he was not a horse racing man as he only goes once or twice a year. He may not be, but he is surely a lucky man!

1st place – 50 pence stake gains £1 million
Bookie: William Hill
Bet type: Eight-horse accumulator
Date: Circa February 2008
Stake: 50 pence
Won: £1 million
Hours after discovering his significant win, he celebrated his 60th birthday – a brilliant birthday present if you ask me.

Accumulator
The vast majority of the big wins above were thanks to an accumulator. An accumulator is a series of consecutive bets, if the first wins the winnings are placed on the second bet, and if the 2nd wins the winnings are placed on the third and so on. The benefit is you could walk away with a fortune from a small stake, the disadvantage is it only takes a single bet to lose for you to lose it all, so say it was an eight horse accumulator and seven of the bets won, on the 8th and last race the horse you bet on does not win. You get nothing back, which would be pretty frustrating.

Summary
It is rare to strike it rich from a small bet, but nothing is impossible. If you get pleasure from betting, an accumulator can be a lot of fun. Horse racing in itself is entertaining, particularly if you are there in person, there is a huge buzz when the horses are going down the ultimate furlong. But always remember to bet responsibly and only what you can afford to lose.