There have been bigger wins in sports gambling history, but what Blues fan Scott Berry pulled off Wednesday night, as his team won the Stanley Cup, will definitely go down in betting lure.
Berry passed and passed and passed on the many opportunities to hedge his $400 ticket from back in January, and it paid off as he won $100,000.
A champagne-soaked Berry spoke to The Action Network minutes after he and his friends bathed in champagne once it was clear that the St. Louis Blues would win their first cup in franchise history.
“Leading up to the game was the worst part,” Berry said. “I tried to keep my mind occupied, but nothing really worked. I remember there was like four hours to go and I tried to take a nap. Didn’t happen.”
What is it like when your team wins the Stanley Cup and you won $100,000 off a $400 bet? Here’s @ScottABerry1 (with champagne bottle in hand) in the middle celebrating with friends. pic.twitter.com/Mt9j6FuFu3
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 13, 2019
Berry had a chance to take his money off the table at various points throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs, including an offer from PropSwap, which presented Berry with a $75,000 offer when the Blues went up 3 games to 2 in the series. The Blues went on to lose Game 6 at home before beating the Boston Bruins, 4-1, on the road on Wednesday night.
“I wanted this for me, but I wanted this for the city,” Berry said. “Once I put the bet down, I had this sixth sense kind of feeling that it was gonna happen and if I hedged I thought it would suggest that I didn’t believe.”
Berry said he did feel the pressure when his story became more and more publicized.
“Everyone was calling me an idiot for not hedging,” Berry said. “I would start to read the Twitter comments, and, after a while, I had to just stop reading.”
Berry went to Vegas on a business trip in January and threw $400 down on the Blues. He saw that they were 250-1 at the Paris and thought there was enough of a chance that he actually went to the Bellagio to see if the odds were longer. That sportsbook had it at 150-1. The difference in price turned out to make him an additional $40,000.
Berry admitted he had a concession speech he was going to make in front of his friends on Wednesday night if it went the wrong way.
“I had a conversation with my mom and dad multiple times,” Berry said. “And we talked about the fact that, even if I lost, I would still have my family, my job and live in this great city.”
After a champagne celebration, Berry planned to head downtown to his friend’s bar, The Wheelhouse, where he promised to cover the tab.
As for what he’ll do with the money when he collects it, the first move is to buy something special for his father for Father’s Day. He says he will also give some money to the Blues' charitable endeavors and he’d like to invest some of the rest into something that can grow.
Said Berry: “This is a lot of money for me. I’m not in debt, but I am, by no means, wealthy.”
