Lionel Messi’s late goal proved costly for Iran. If he hadn’t scored, though, it would have been extremely costly for one bold bettor.
Argentina and Iran were goalless in second-half stoppage time in their 2014 FIFA World Cup game on Saturday when Messi scored a brilliant goal to give his team a 1-0 win and save them from a disappointing result.
Two days before the contest, a bettor at the Tuscany Casino in Las Vegas placed a whopping $231,676 bet on Argentina to beat Iran.
The Argentinians were the clear favorite in Saturday’s contest, so much so that the bettor would only get $20,000 in return if Argentina won. So, he decided to up the ante on Friday by betting another $120,000 on the team on Friday for the chance to win another $10,000.
Without Messi’s goal in the 91st minute, the bettor would have lost roughly $350,000 which, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell, is the largest World Cup wager made at the William Hill sports books in Nevada.
The bettor escaped with his $30,000 payout, but he might want to toss Messi a few dollars as thanks for saving him from complete financial disaster.
See Messi’s game-winning goal against Iran >>
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