A GAMBLING genius has won £240,000 – after cashing out his seven-team accumulator moments before France’s World Cup final defeat.
American Daniel Forte had backed Les Bleus to lift the trophy as part of a £21 bet he placed in March.
Forte correctly forecast Manchester City would win the Premier League.
He also tipped AC Milan to win Serie A, and Los Angeles FC to lift the MLS Cup.
Other spot-on selections included Golden State Warriors to win the NBA finals, Colorado Avalanche to win Ice Hockey’s Stanley Cup and Kansas to win the NCAA basketball tournament.
Forte stood to win $557,770 – £457,738 – if France completed the final leg of his acca with odds of 21,453-1.
But in an inspired decision, he opted to cash out for $283,583 – £240,000 – just hours before Didier Deschamps’ men lost on penalties to Argentina.
Which is a result that would have left the Nevada-based punter with nothing.
Forte said: “Thank God I cashed out.
“I’d be leaving on a stretcher with a heart attack otherwise.
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“There was a lot of thought and a lot of talking to my family.
“We decided to take the £283K cashout, and change my life.”
Forte had to make an emergency 700-mile drive from Las Vegas to Arizona to cash out in time – as his app with online sportsbook FanDuel did not work in Nevada.
