One man would have been able to say “I told you so” after Federer’s win, except for the small problem of his being dead.
Nick Newlife bet £1,520 (about $2,300) in England during 2003 that Federer — fresh off his first Wimbledon victory — would win six more by 2019. At odds of 66-1, that bet cashed out quite nicely on Sunday, but Newlife was not there to collect it.
After passing away three years ago, the 69-year-old bequeathed the betting slip in his will to an English charity, Oxfam, who received a £101,840 ($157,597) donation. Newlife “died in 2009 with no family and friends and left his worldly belongings to the Oxfam charity,” according to the Daily Mail, and his belongings included the record of his bet.
“Legacies amount to 10 per cent of our total income from individuals, so they’re essential to us,” Oxfam spokesman Stuart Fowkes said, “and as this case proves they can come in all shapes and sizes.”
Newlife was described as a reclusive “bearded bachelor” who asked neighbors to place bets for him because he didn’t trust bookies.
