A bettor from Arizona has been sweating bullets since February — or, really, since the Texas Rangers won the World Series in November.
That's because Wayne Shelton, a single father who owns a real estate appraisal business in Phoenix, has a three-way parlay that just needs the Thunder to win the NBA championship in order to cash $1.7 million on a single $100 wager.
The bet was placed roughly a year ago: a parlay involving the Rangers to win the World Series at 22-1, the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl at 6-1 and the Thunder to win the NBA championship at 70-1. In total, the bet has odds of +1143000, but are boosted by 50%, increasing his total payout by more than $570,000.
The Rangers took care of business in November and the Chiefs in February.
Before the Thunder's Game 1 victory over the Mavericks on Tuesday night, DraftKings gave him the option to cash his parlay out for $75,000. The real value of his ticket is over $200,000 after the OKC win.
A $1.7 MILLION winner if the Thunder become NBA champs 🤯
Cash out for $75K or let it ride? 👀
(via IG: ascended_13 | @DKSportsbook) pic.twitter.com/HIQzXorZ0i
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) April 30, 2024
"I never bet that high on a future, especially a lottery ticket like this one," Shelton said. "They gave me a high max and I just said, 'You know what? This one time, max it out, let's go.' [I] never do that. [And] here we are."
Shelton told ESPN on Wednesday that he has hedged slightly on the Mavericks and will expect a roughly $10,000 payout should Dallas eliminate OKC this round. If the Thunder move on, he intends to hedge slightly each step of the way in conjunction.
