If you’ve ever wondered whether bookies make loads and loads of dough, consider this bit of PR from a Manchester United betting honcho:
Anyone who bet that the Red Devils would retain their Premier League title is getting a refund from bookie Fred Done, which will cost him in the neighborhood of $333,000.
Done, a Manchester United supporter and reported millionaire, had this to say (via the Manchester Evening News):“These loyal fans never had a chance of winning with United. This season the Reds have been useless, hopeless and meaningless. Anyone who has a bet on United winning the title need only take their slip to any shop and I will refund every penny.
“One of the reasons I’m doing this is, and becoming the first bookmaker ever to do so, is because of the way the fans were still singing for their team even though we were losing 3-0 to Liverpool. I couldn’t believe it and they deserve a team much better than that put out by David Moyes.”
Yeah, it’s a calculated risk from a man who likely didn’t make that money from people packing Old Trafford, but it’s a sign of the times in Manchester when anyone’s willing to drop that load of dough -- PR savvy or not -- on the failings of their soccer club.
By the way, it’s not like they were making a sucker’s bet. Manchester United won the league by 11 points. Refunds? Come on. Then again, this is the same bookie who paid out a whole lot money to “winners” who bet on United winning the title before they coughed up the No. 1 slot to Arsenal in 1998.