' Football fan Wins £1mill,but then is told '

Friday 28th March 2014.

A TEENAGE barman who thought he had scooped £1m after correctly guessing the winners of 14 football matches has been told he filled in the wrong form and has won nothing.

Jordan Donnellan, 19, from Consett, County Durham, who predicted the outcome of the games at the weekend, believed his £1 accumulator had made him an overnight millionaire.

Friends celebrated his success at the pub on Sunday evening and on Monday staff at Ladbrokes in Middle Street in Consett confirmed the good news.

Mr Donnellan, who works over the road in the Coach and Horses, was told to come back later as the shop "did not have that kind of money on the premises".

But instead of making him a wealthy man he was given the news that his betting slip was worthless.

Mr Donnellan, who planned to pay off some debts, save the money and continue with his ambition to become an apprentice firefighter with the RAF, said: “All of that money wouldn’t have changed me but it would have been really nice and would have helped out a lot.”

Mr Donnellan went to The Traveller’s Rest in Consett on Sunday to watch the football when he realised he only needed three more wins to make him a rich man.

After Atletico Madrid beat Real Betis 2-0 in Seville and Stoke beat Aston Villa at Villa Park 4-1, a group of about 25 people stayed for the 14th and final game between Catania and Juventus.

Argentinean Carlos Teves put Juve ahead in the 59th minute, and, as word had spread, the final whistle signalled a time for celebration in the pub.

Mr Donnellan’s mother even bought a giant round of shots to toast the family’s good fortune and partying continued into the night.

He said: “I left the receipt at home. I did not want to take it out in case I lost it.

“I genuinely believed I was going to win a million pounds and there were some people who stayed with me to see how it went.

“The atmosphere was amazing. It was a brilliant night. Everyone was cheering.”

The following morning, when he went to collect his winnings staff initially congratulated Mr Donnellan, a former pupil at St Leonard’s Catholic School in Durham.

He said: “The woman was looking at the scores and ticked them off. She looked up and smiled and said ‘I think you might have won, do you want a hug?'.

“She had to ring her area manager because they did not have that sort of cash.”

But when he returned three hours later a friend who had been discussing the bet with staff told Mr Donnellan it had been deemed invalid.

He later learned he had filled in a Weekend Result Rush, which requires both teams to have scored, instead of a Weekend Quickslip.

He was told he would have been entitled to "only a few hundred pounds", had he filled in the correct form, rather than the bumper jackpot he had been expecting.

Mr Donnellan said: “As I was about to go back in a mate who had been in the betting shop told me my bet was wrong.

“I didn’t want to believe it. I said ‘are you joking?’ But he had been in talking to the woman. When I went in she said ‘we have a little problem'.” A Ladbrokes spokesperson declined to comment.

What a knobhead

What a bellend 14 teams to win would get you a few thousand

What a bellend 14 teams to win would get you a few thousand

It says in the article a few hundred

Probablt wouldnt even have covered the round of drinks his mother bought

I didn't read that bit

I didn't read that bit

What a numpty, I bet there was people in that pub who knew the mistake he had made

Ive knocked the serial gambling on the head and just do the BTTS plus win coupon that this guy used by mistake.

Is not a bad coupon for a bit of interest and decent returns.

£2 on 4 teams tomorrow returns £440.

I didn't read that bit

What a numpty, I bet there was people in that pub who knew the mistake he had made

Ive knocked the serial gambling on the head and just do the BTTS plus win coupon that this guy used by mistake.

Is not a bad coupon for a bit of interest and decent returns.

£2 on 4 teams tomorrow returns £440.

dont you find it a difficult one to pick though?


i find picking games with BTTS is bad enough (especially if your looking for 5+) but BTTS and win is just a tough one

I didn't read that bit

What a numpty, I bet there was people in that pub who knew the mistake he had made

Ive knocked the serial gambling on the head and just do the BTTS plus win coupon that this guy used by mistake.

Is not a bad coupon for a bit of interest and decent returns.

£2 on 4 teams tomorrow returns £440.

dont you find it a difficult one to pick though?


i find picking games with BTTS is bad enough (especially if your looking for 5+) but BTTS and win is just a tough one

Yes its extremely difficult but you dont need to pick no more than 3/4 and its decent return.

Tuesday night I had Arsenal to beat Swansea, Watford to beat Blackburn, City to beat United, and it looked like I just needed a United consolation for £120 off £2 but then both Swansea and Blackburn scored very late and I didnt get one right, but the £2 had sevred its purpose it kept me interested for most of the 90 minutes.

If I had £20 on to win £1200 I would have been doing my nut, and probably gone chasing the £1200 I "nearly" won but as it was just £2 then I dont expect to win and its just for a bit of interest. Its like an alcholic have a nice cold Kalibur.

I had quite a few wins on the old BTTS, 10 matches was my best win, had 5/6 up a few times but the odds on that coupon have gone shit and not worth it for me on my £2 limit.

I didn't read that bit

What a numpty, I bet there was people in that pub who knew the mistake he had made

Ive knocked the serial gambling on the head and just do the BTTS plus win coupon that this guy used by mistake.

Is not a bad coupon for a bit of interest and decent returns.

£2 on 4 teams tomorrow returns £440.

dont you find it a difficult one to pick though?


i find picking games with BTTS is bad enough (especially if your looking for 5+) but BTTS and win is just a tough one

Yes its extremely difficult but you dont need to pick no more than 3/4 and its decent return.

Tuesday night I had Arsenal to beat Swansea, Watford to beat Blackburn, City to beat United, and it looked like I just needed a United consolation for £120 off £2 but then both Swansea and Blackburn scored very late and I didnt get one right, but the £2 had sevred its purpose it kept me interested for most of the 90 minutes.

If I had £20 on to win £1200 I would have been doing my nut, and probably gone chasing the £1200 I "nearly" won but as it was just £2 then I dont expect to win and its just for a bit of interest. Its like an alcholic have a nice cold Kalibur.

I had quite a few wins on the old BTTS, 10 matches was my best win, had 5/6 up a few times but the odds on that coupon have gone shit and not worth it for me on my £2 limit.

i had an 8 come in for about a grand once, but like you i dont bother any more, the bookies were getting panned on it when it first come out.

i try to just stick to singles/doubles on either football or tennis now, though i dont tend to bet much these days

Paul, sticking to singles and doubles is the only way to get up on the bookies, but with my gambling / chasing mentality I could be beating them for a month, and then lose a few thousand in hours. No discipline. Very gamblers have.

Gave up what I would call "gambling" on boxing day after a very heavy loss and I have had probably 6 bets of £2 since, which I dont necessarily count as "gambling".

Gutted, poor sod!!

Gutted, poor sod!!

You do realise if he filled in the correct form he would have only won a few hundred right?

The £1 million was only ever on offer because of his stupdity in filling out the wrong form.

Be interested to know how many of the 14 results he had right had BTTS though.

Gutted, poor sod!!

You do realise if he filled in the correct form he would have only won a few hundred right?

The £1 million was only ever on offer because of his stupdity in filling out the wrong form.

Be interested to know how many of the 14 results he had right had BTTS though.

But still, regardless of the amount he thought he had won something and celebrated all night, I bet he feels like a right dick now!!

Gutted, poor sod!!

You do realise if he filled in the correct form he would have only won a few hundred right?

The £1 million was only ever on offer because of his stupdity in filling out the wrong form.

Be interested to know how many of the 14 results he had right had BTTS though.

But still, regardless of the amount he thought he had won something and celebrated all night, I bet he feels like a right dick now!!

Fair enough. At least he got to feel like a millionaire for a few hours at least I suppose.

At least he didnt buy anything outrageous online on the Sunday night!!!

In work with me the lads on the shopfloor text someone who was off shift on the wind up to tell him he had won the £300 monthly staff draw and he hadnt, and they end up having a whip round for him as he had told the missus and she spent the money.

I made that mistake a few weeks ago in Ladbrokes. Didn't read the small print at the top.

14 teams is risky though. I only ever do 8 at most.