Lucky punter turns £4 into £1million jackpot with 12-fold football corner accumulator

Lucky punter turns £4 into £1million jackpot with 12-fold football corner accumulator The 45-year-old man, who was not named, defied odds of 249,345-1 to scoop £997,385 with a 12-fold accumulator on Saturday's English Football League matches A lucky football fan bagged a £1m jackpot with an astonishing £4 bet on the number of corners in 12 matches. The man, 45, who was not named, defied odds of 249,345-1 to scoop the prize. He placed a 12-fold accumulator on Saturday's English Football League matches - netting him a return of £997,385. The punter bet just £4 that 12 games would have more than 11.5 corners each. The man, from Portsmouth, only learned of his success after the final whistles had blown. He said: "I didn't actually realise it had come in until about half an hour after all the games had finished. "I'm an Aston Villa fan and was out with my son watching the early kick-off, which started the day really well. Then we walked back home and got soaked with the weather, and when I checked my account I couldn't believe it. I don't know how to describe it really. It was emotional, I felt a little bit sick at first making sure it was real, and then obviously the reality kicked in. "My wife was out at the time when I checked, I needed her to come back to clarify the amount that was in there. I kept asking her, 'This is right, isn't it?' It didn't seem real. It's hard to put into words. I didn't sleep much last night, thinking about what we can do with the money. It's a really good feeling, it's brilliant." The punter now plans to spend more time watching Aston Villa with his son. The rest of the money is due to go towards paying off his mortgage, buying a new car for himself and his wife, plus a family holiday. He said: "Me and some friends usually do an accumulator on the weekend for a bit of fun, we all pick a leg and put them in our group chat, both teams to score usually, and I like to do corners. I had £4 in my account so I decided to do one of my own with a few more corners in. I'm sure that I'll be treating my mates after winning this one, it will be my round all the time." The 12-fold accumulator consisted of 10 games in League One and two in the Championship, with the matches averaging 14 corners each. Among the fixtures which helped win the prize were Oxford Utd against Bradford, Reading against Barnsley, and Stevenage against MK Dons. Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: "We are absolutely delighted for this Portsmouth punter and couldn't be happier to pay out such a large sum of money. It's an incredible amount to win on a football accumulator; congratulations from everyone at Betfair." It is not the first time simple bets have landed big. Last year Arron Freeman and Kelly Dighton won £11.5m on Betfred's online slot game Mega Moolah with a £1.50 stake. Since then, the biggest winners in the betting firm's 58-year history splashed the cash. Arron has apparently bought a BMW M8, which costs £150,000 new. Kelly, who has shared on TikTok her progress recovering from a drug addiction, showed off a mammoth diamond ring, said to be from Tiffany & Co. as she announced their engagement. In her videos she wears a £315 Gucci brooch and a diamond-encrusted Rolex, while talking about having face fillers, a Brazilian butt lift and liposuction in Turkey. Arron, from Mulbarton, Norfolk, previously said he wants to sell his story so he can build a homeless shelter. He is said to have celebrated the win with champagne at the pub run by Kelly's parents in the town. Betfred founder Fred Done called him to offer his congratulations and invited him to Old Trafford as his guest. Manchester United fan Arron said: "It was class of Fred to phone me. He told me to look after my cash and that is my plan. I've been a horse racing punter my whole life... but obviously never hit the jackpot like this. It was the missus' idea to give the casino a go. I love racing so I will still have a bet on the horses, but it will still be my normal small stakes." [Image text:] 12 FOLD ACCUMULATOR Over 11.5 corners (each match) Oxford Utd v Bradford Over 11.5 corners Reading v Barnsley Over 11.5 corners Stevenage v MK Dons Over 11.5 corners Doncaster v Sheff Wed Over.11.5.corners Cambridge Utd v Plymouth Over 11.5 corners AFC Wimbledon v Wycombe Over 11.5 corners Notts Co v Stockport Over 11.5.corners Burton Albion v Leyton Orient Over 11.5 coners Bromley v Peterborough Over11.5 corners Preston v West Brom Over 11.5 corners QPRv Swansea Over 11.5 corners Blackpool v Mansfield Over 11.5 corners STAKE4.00 ODDS:249,345-1 14 5-4 corners 7-5 corner 3-1 7-4 31-20 8-5 23-10 14-5 16 12 corner 13 13 7-5 31-20 15 cormer 15 2-1 7-4 13 STAKE:4.00 997,385 WINNINGS!