Premier League longshot Leicester City won again on Sunday, decreasing the chances that bookmakers will be able to buy bettors off.
At 5000/1 odds to win the league at the beginning of the season, William Hill spokesman Graeme Sharpe estimated that the Foxes winning the title will cost the English sportsbooks more than $14 million in payouts.
"The fairytale is definitely alive for punters [gamblers], and the bookies' nightmare is becoming a reality," Sharpe said.
He disclosed that William Hill has 25 bettors who plunked down money on Leicester when the team was 5000/1.
The sportsbook has been trying to buy out gamblers ahead of the team's increasingly likely-looking clinching of the title, with Sunday's 1-0 win against Southampton meaning they're seven points clear of second place Tottenham.
On Friday, William Hill offered $4,019 for each $1.42 bet on Leicester City, trying to lure those who had bet on the Foxes at 5000/1 to make a deal. On Saturday, the offer rose to $4,121. And after Sunday's win, it became $4,659 per each $1.42 bet.
Sunday's number pays out 66 percent of what bettors will win should Leicester hold on and win the Premier League.
With six games of the season to go, the Foxes will clinch it by winning their next four games in a row. The final game in that stretch would be against Manchester United at Old Trafford on May 1. They could win it as soon as April 18 if Spurs and Arsenal lose their next two games.
Source: ESPN
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