One lucky horseplayer overcame odds of one in 479 millon to claim an unprecedented multi-million dollar prize.
Correctly selecting the order of finish for a dozen horses running in The TAB Everest at Royal Randwick on Saturday, Oct. 14, an Auckland horseplayer won $10 million AUD (approximately $8.63 million CAD). The winner took home the life-changing prize through a special TAB promotion offered free to all New Zealand account holders.
The Everest Mega Millions contest, limited to one entry per person, was offered by TAB to promote the $20 million AUD Thoroughbred slot race and New Zealand's first ever representative in the turf sprint, I Wish I Win, who finished second to Think About It.
“The Everest is the world’s richest race on turf and this customer has managed to take home more than the winner’s purse by pulling off one of the most impressive selecting feats we have ever seen," said Cameron Rodger, managing director of Entain New Zealand, the operator of TAB. “The race had over 400 million possible finish results, and he managed to nail the exact one needed. We’re thrilled with the customer engagement this innovative competition was able to generate and a huge congratulations to our winner.”
The improbable winner of the handicapping promotion even had to be convinced of the result.
“I saw the promotion on the TAB site and thought I’d give it a crack,” said the winner, who did not wish to be named. "I didn’t put too much thought into my picks and just dropped the runners where I thought it could go.
“I honestly could not believe I’d won it. I actually thought it was a hoax when they first rang me – I called the TAB back, and it took quite a lot of convincing before it sank in. To have pulled it off, winning $10 million in a free to play competition, is truly incredible for my family and I.”
(With files from nzherald.co.nz)