Leicester City's stunning Premier League title charge is poised to make a string of bold punters rich, but one of their pre-season backers has been left counting the cost after bailing out of his bet.
Bookmaker Ladbrokes have revealed that one of their customers placed 50p at 5000/1 on Leicester to win the league at the start of the season, only to cash out for a miniscule 45p profit after the Foxes beat Sunderland on the opening day of the season.
Leicester will win the league if they beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, confounding almost all pre-season predictions, some of which tipped them for relegation.
A Leicester fan cashed out a similar £20 bet last month, landing £72,000 but the unnamed punter – who would have been set to land £2,500 had he stuck with his pre-season bet - was not so lucky.
Ladbrokes have reached out to the individual who cashed out hastily in an attempt to make them feel better after they missed out on a stunning windfall.
"This will go down as the worst cash out decision in history," Ladbrokes spokesman Alex Donohue said.
"Plenty of 5000/1 backers took sums midway through the season when it looked in the balance, but we wonder what our man didn't like about the 4-2 win on the opening day of the season.
"We are offering our customer an all-expenses paid day out at a game next season plus another title bet to make amends to soften the blow.
"With judgement this good, any long term title bets should be left to ride."
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