JustBet punter nets $3.3 million after $5,000 World Cup scoreline ticket

A JustBet punter converted a $5,000 FIFA World Cup stake into a $3.3-million return by forecasting the exact scores in three fixtures on one slip.

Stefan Miller, chief executive of Supreme Ventures Gaming, explained that the payout rested on a multiple wager, so every selection on the ticket had to land before any money was due. “Interestingly, a lot of people are betting on the multiples,” Miller told THE STAR. “There was a ticket bought for $5,000 and the person bet the correct score for three games. The customer ended up winning $3.3 million from that $5,000 bet.”

According to Miller, the haul illustrates how Jamaican punters are approaching this World Cup differently, no longer sticking only to match-winner markets. “But we are seeing that people are a lot more savvy now. I guess people are more researched and well-read, so they are betting on the multiples, small bets with big potential wins, and, of course, if they hit, they are happy,” he said.

The windfall arrives while Supreme Ventures Gaming says World Cup handle has run well ahead of internal targets. Ahead of kick-off, Miller said the firm had planned for JustBet revenue to climb by roughly 25 to 30 per cent against the last World Cup. “So far, happy to report, we have done close to 200 per cent of revenues from the last time, and we have a couple more games to go,” he said.

He also reported that patronage is up 65 per cent since June and that the customer base has already more than doubled the count logged in the previous tournament. “Part of what we are seeing are casuals, so people who don’t normally play sports betting. We’ve seen a spike in our online sign-ups. All in all, it certainly has exceeded our expectations. We are very happy for that,” Miller said, noting a surge in newcomers since the competition opened. “We are trying to see how best we can hang on to many of them post-World Cup, but we have seen that level of increase since June coming into July,” he said.

Early in the tournament, about 55 per cent of outright-winner wagers were said to have backed Brazil. “But that has certainly changed since last Sunday (referring to the July 5 loss to Norway),” Miller said, as money moved toward France and Argentina. “People are leaning a little bit over to France, surprisingly. I think, you know, on the weekend Messi fans were happy,” he said. “It is almost even, but there is a slight edge to France right now.”

Even though Brazil ranked among the favoured sides, Miller said the Selação’s exit hurt bookmakers’ clients less than he had feared. “Most of our customers were betting on Brazil to lose,” he said. “That was very surprising. I think people would have seen their performance throughout the World Cup and realised that this one isn’t looking like how it is supposed to be.”

Miller pointed to Argentina against Cabo Verde as JustBet’s strongest fixture for single-match turnover. Live betting let players keep staking as the contest developed, and volume climbed when the action intensified. “Initially, it wasn’t shaping up to be the game with the highest volume of bets. But as the game unfolded, as you recall the drama and suspense in that game, people really got into it,” he said.

While Brazil’s departure was treated as a shock on the pitch, Miller said England’s win over Norway produced the largest upset in money terms. He added: “People were expecting the [Norway] run to continue, but it didn’t happen.” Early rounds largely followed form, he said, until Germany went out. “That was the first real upset.”