Big Bets Report: Mexico’s loss to England costs bettor $1 million

World Cup odds continue to generate bets closer to those of the Super Bowl. This includes seven-figure bets. But just because someone bets a lot of money doesn’t mean they have a particular vision. That proved true once again on Sunday night, in a wild match between England and Mexico that saw a Vegas gambler lose a million dollars. Read on to learn more about this major bet, a winner at the buzzer on Norway vs. Brazil, stacks of market predictions and a four-year-old debate that is finally about to be resolved. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you register or place a bet, FOX Sports may be compensated. Learn more about sports betting on FOX Sports. Mexico Million One minor surprise in the 2026 World Cup odds market is that the biggest bets don’t always end up with the usual suspects: the DraftKings, FanDuels, BetMGMs and Caesars of the world. Rather, it is Station Sports that records the largest bets, via its local hotels/casinos/sportsbooks located around Las Vegas. Although Station has not confirmed it, speculation on social media suggests these bets all come from the same client. Sunday afternoon, a few hours before the England-Mexico clash, this client decided to go all-in on the local side. The punter spread $1 million across two bets on the To Advance market: It didn’t look good when Jude Bellingham scored two goals less than two minutes apart, giving England a 2-0 lead in the 38th minute. But Mexico bounced back with a goal before halftime, and an England red card early in the second half helped make this match a thriller throughout. In the end, despite massive pressure in the second half, Mexico lost 3-2. These bets therefore became a seven-figure donation to the house. Ouch. Buzzer Beater At the end of the second half of the Norway vs Brazil match, Norway led 2-0, and it looked like that was how it would end. But in the final moments of the match, Brazil was awarded a penalty for a foul in the area. Neymar converted the spot-kick, the match ended in a 2-1 victory for Norway and Over bettors rejoiced. Perhaps none more so than a Caesars Sports customer who put $49,052.27 – yes, 27 cents too – on over 2.5 goals (-150). The bettor won $32,701.51, for a total win of $81,753.78. Funds On France France are the favorites to win the World Cup, and so far punters have been rewarded for backing Kylian Mbappé & Co. The French have allowed just two goals in five matches, winning by a cumulative total of 14-2. In Tuesday’s round of 16, a Hard Rock Bet customer bet a whopping $631,000 on France – a heavy -850 favorite – to beat Sweden. Unlike the aforementioned Mexican punter, this high-roller didn’t have to sweat much. France blanked Sweden 3-0, thanks to Mbappé’s two goals in the lead. The bettor therefore pocketed a profit of $74,235 (total payout of $705,235). Which might not be worth it for such a big gamble. But it’s hard to argue with a return on investment of 11.8%. Playing the Long Game Save this as Stranger Things: On December 26, 2022, a FanDuel Sportsbook customer put the entire 83 cents into a very curious two-person bet. The markets: add them up and you get a whopping odds of +293050, or almost 2931/1. How people come up with such crazy combinations is anyone’s guess. Anyway, yes, Edwards scored the first basket in that game, more than three and a half years ago, even though Minnesota ultimately lost 113-110. Fast forward to July 6, and Colombia is preparing for a Round of 16 match as favorites against Sweden. If Colombia wins on Tuesday, it will be three wins away from a championship. And if that somehow happens, then the bettor’s change on the couch will turn into $2,433.15. Personally, I am in favor of this. What a bet. Making Predictions Sports betting is certainly getting a big boost from the World Cup odds action. But most of the biggest money flows through prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket. Hardly a day goes by without a seven-figure transaction, and six-figure transactions are too numerous to mention. Latest example: on Sunday, a Polymarket client bet $1.858 million on Mexico not to win its match against England. As noted above, the host Mexican team suffered a heartbreaking defeat on Sunday night. But it worked very well for this trader. With a price of 68%, which corresponds to odds of -213, the customer profited $847,608 (total payout of $2,733,150). Indeed, taking No on Yes/No markets is proving popular. During Sunday’s Norway-Brazil match, a Kalshi client clashed with the favored Brazilian team, with a $300,000 trade on Brazil being eliminated. This was the case during the 2-1 loss. At an underdog price of 30% (+233), the trader made a profit of $700,000 (total payout of $1 million). Another Kalshi client put $55,000 on Vinícius Júnior not to score. When Brazil won a penalty in the 14th minute, most people thought Vini would take that kick – and convert it. Instead, Bruno Guimaraes was picked out and his shot was saved by Norwegian goalkeeper Orjan Nyland. Vini Jr. was ultimately held scoreless. At the 55% price (-122), the trader earned $45,000 (total payout $100,000). But “Just say no” doesn’t always pay off. A Polymarket customer learned a costly lesson during the Norway vs Ivory Coast match, trading $2.5 million to Norway for not winning. Erling Haaland’s 86th-minute goal gave Norway a 2-1 victory, and this trader bid farewell to 2.5 million. On the other hand, Colombia got a $71,000 yes to win the World Cup, at Polymarket. At the time of the trade, Colombia’s price was only 2% off, which corresponds to odds of +4900. If Colombia wins four more times, the trader will pocket a whopping $3.7 million. Parlay Partay A FanDuel Sportsbook client successfully selected half of the Round of 16 field, on an eight-stage parlay likely placed before the start of the tournament. Better yet, as the ticket shows, the bettor used a bonus bet promotion. So it was basically a free ride. Certainly, most of these teams were expected to reach the round of 16. This is why the odds were a relatively modest +2290, just below 23/1. Still, turning a free game into $1,145.02 is a pretty smooth move. At Hard Rock Bet, a big bettor piled into a quartet of Round of 16 matches from Tuesday to Wednesday. The bettor placed $100,000 on a four-way match between Norway, France, Mexico and England to win their matches. All four made it, although the punter had a lot of sweat coming from England. Congo, a big outsider, led 1-0 from the seventh to the 74th minute. But Harry Kane saved the day with goals in the 75th and 86th minutes, giving England a 2-1 victory. The bettor made a profit of $674,946.47 (total payout $774,946.47). Hopefully you won it, you don’t need to bet four, five or six figures to score a nice win. For all of us normal people, just winning $10 at, say, 10/1 or 15/1 is a great day. And 28/1 is even better. Fanatics Sportsbook had Jude Bellingham +2800 to score two or more goals against Mexico. As noted above, Bellingham scored these two goals just 98 seconds apart, in England’s wild 3-2 victory. If you put just $10 in it, your wallet would be $280 bigger today. Or how about Sidny Cabral scoring a goal anytime for Cape Verde, against mighty reigning World Cup champions Argentina? At FanDuel, Cabral was +2500 to do so at any point in the game, whether in regulation or overtime. Cabral sent a screamer into the net 12 minutes into overtime to tie the game at 2. Ultimately, Cape Verde came up short on Friday night, losing 3-2. But it was a phenomenal match, even more so if you put a ten on Cabral and win $250. Or if you get frisky and deposit $100, pocket $2,500. I like big bets and I can’t lie. There have been countless notable World Cup odds trades over the past week. This includes a big winner in the United States. A Hard Rock Bet customer bet $350,000 on USA -220 vs. Bosnia in the Round of 16. Despite being down to a man for much of the second half, due to Folarin Balogun’s red card in the 64th minute, the United States cruised to a 2–0 victory. The bettor made a profit of $159,090 (total payout $509,090). Other Notable Bets: All of these major bets make this a good time to reinforce this reminder: These high rollers/high net worth bettors usually have the means to absorb big losses. You and me? Not so much. Never bet more than you can afford to lose.