Wayne Shelton is a single father who just became $80,960.17 richer after an impressive $100 bet was cashed out by the bettor.
The three-leg parlay, placed at DraftKings Sportsbook, had winning legs of the Texas Rangers to win the World Series (22/1) and the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl (+600) but it all hinged on the Oklahoma City Thunder — the top seed in the Western Conference — winning the NBA Finals (70/1).
The $100 bet would’ve won slightly north of $1.7 million if he rode it out and the Thunder got some good luck en route to an NBA Finals victory.
“One hell of a ride, I got to go to a playoff game in OKC,” Shelton said in a video he posted to X on Tuesday. “And one hell of an up and down here with the cashout, it started at $11,000, got all the way up to $100,000, dropped all the way back down to $30,000 and right now we’re at $80,000.
“I said last night [Monday] that if (Thunder) win this game and they offer at least $80,000, I’m walking. Well, they’re offering $80,000 and I don’t think I can take anymore, I want to keep going but I’m a single dad and the money would be wonderful.”
The total odds of the parlay should have been 11,430/1, but thanks to a well-placed 50 percent parlay boost, the bet was instead priced at 17,145/1.
The Rangers and Chiefs did their part in winning their respective title and the Thunder grabbed the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference to grab home-court advantage, but they find themselves in a 2-2 semifinals series against the Mavericks entering Wednesday’s critical Game 5.
Rather than risk going home with $0, Shelton took a cashout with the Thunder just six wins away from an NBA Finals berth.
Could he have gotten more? Almost definitely.
Cashouts are never the best value when looking at a futures bet that you want out of.
Instead, sharp bettors look to secondary markets, like a Prop Swap or Wager Wire, to grab more money when selling bets.
Secondary market PropSwap told The Post they received multiple six-figure offers for the bet, but they were unable to contact Shelton.
The true value, according to Wager Wire, was $190,500, if they were able to find a buyer.
Betting on the NBA?
Still, for a single father to collect high-five figures on just a $100 bet is undoubtedly a feel-good story.
But for future bettors in a similar spot, keep your direct messages open on social media; it could grab you some additional coin in a situation like this.