A PUNTER scooped more than £650 after a stranger placed a string of winning bets on his lost phone.
Chris Dennis misplaced the device while out boozing with pals at the Champion Of The Thames in Cambridge on January 16.
Chris Dennis pocketed more than £650 after a stranger placed bets on his phone
The 52-year-old accidentally left the device behind in the Champion Of The Thames pub in Cambridge
The 52-year-old only realised it was missing the following day and called the venue to see if had been handed in.
Chris was told there was no sign of his phone, but three days later he returned to the tavern to find it safely in lost property.
The mobile was dead, but after charging it and logging into his Betfair account, he discovered someone had placed 14 wagers on sports games on two consecutive nights.
Incredibly, whoever it was ended up winning Chris £653.92 – with the mystery punter even ‘cashing out’ on various multiples before the matches ended to ensure they paid out before the final whistle.
Chris, who works as a property agent, now wants to thank the unknown player with a portion of his takings.
He said: “I really hope I meet whoever put these bets on.
“I owe them a pint or two at least – but I’d like to offer them £300 as a thank you.
“They must have found my phone on Monday night and decided to have a laugh sticking some bets on.
“I like to imagine that when they kept on winning they realised they couldn’t take the money out as it would just go to my bank account, so they handed the phone in.”
He added: “I’ve learned my lesson though – I really need to set the lock on my phone, otherwise this could have ended up very differently.”
Asked how he normally fared when betting, Chris said: “Normally I just stick a few quid on multiples, but I never get them coming in like this.
“The most I’d won before this was £80 on Argentina winning the World Cup last year.”
Chris’ 14 winning bets
1 – Jan 17 – Three fold – Sevilla, West Brom, Napoli – all won apart from Napoli, but cashed out at £103.21
2 – Jan 17 – Four fold – Liverpool, West Brom, Birmingham, Napoli – all won apart from Napoli, but cashed out at £89.39
3 – Jan 17 – Four fold – Liverpool, Birmingham, West Brom, Napoli – all won apart from Napoli, but cashed out at £85.27
4 – Jan 17 – Five fold – Galatasaray, Liverpool, Birmingham, West Brom, Napoli – all won apart from Napoli, but cashed out at £31.28
5 – Jan 17 – Six fold – Galatasaray, Liverpool, Genk, Birmingham, West Brom, Napoli – all won apart from Napoli, but cashed out at £41.30
6 – Jan 17 – Seven fold – Real Sociedad, Liverpool, Genk, Birmingham, West Brom, Sevilla, Napoli – all won apart from Napoli, but cashed out at £24.17
7 – Jan 18 – Edison Cavani first scorer for Valencia – £38.45
8 – Jan 18 – Two fold – Edison Cavani to score anytime and Valencia win – £30.74
9 – Jan 18 Five fold – Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Celtic, Rangers, Man United – all won apart from Man Utd, but cashed out at £25.97
10 – Jan 1 – Five fold – Valencia, Celtic, Hearts, Rangers, Man United – all won apart from Man Utd, but cashed out at £37.54
11 – Jan 18 – Six fold – Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Celtic. Atletico Madrid, Rangers, Man United – all won apart from Man Utd, but cashed out at £20.60
12 – Jan 18 – Seven fold – Athletic Bilbao, Leeds, Celtic, Hearts, Atletico Madrid, Rangers, Man United – all won apart from Man Utd, but cashed out at £40.66
13 – Jan 18 – Seven fold – Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Celtic, Hearts, Atletico Madrid, Rangers, Man United – all won apart from Man Utd, but cashed out at £65.26
14 – Jan 18 – Eight fold – Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, Leeds, Celtic, Hearts, Atletico Madrid, Rangers, Man United – all won apart from Man Utd, but cashed out at £20.08
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
Establishes time and monetary limits before playingOnly gambles with money they can afford to loseNever chase their lossesDoesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry, or depressedGamcare – www.gamcare.org.ukGamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.