Chicago Cubs World Series Bet Hoax: Man Fakes Bet Of Life Savings ($200,000) On Cubs World Series Win
One Chicago Cubs World Series bet took social media by storm on Tuesday, May 10. This Cubs World Series bet reportedly had a man betting $200,000 (his life savings) on Chicago finally taking home the title. A report from CBS Sports carried the news to the masses, showcasing what looked to be an authentic betting slip from the MGM Grand. The slip reported that the Cubs World Series bet would pay 3-to-1 odds, yielding a return of $800,000 if Don Majewski of Chicago won the bet. Now it turns out the entire thing was a hoax.
ESPN sports analyst David Payne Purdum got in contact with the MGM Grand to prove the validity of the bet. What he found was that the bet was never made and that Don Majewski may have concocted the whole thing through Photoshop and an online blog.
MGM says it’s willing to take a bet like that, but this ticket has been altered and is illegitimate. https://t.co/uo5HvSVxfn
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) May 10, 2016
The original story seems to trace back to a report made by a website called NetOneNews. In that report, it is alleged that Don Majewski is from Jefferson Park and that he had recently made a trip to Las Vegas after withdrawing most of his retirement savings. This was where the story started to draw a lot of interest around the nation, as it was then stated that he put the money on the line to back his favorite team. Quotes were even provided about this Chicago Cubs World Series bet. Whether they are authentic or not is another question.
“I waited overnight before buying the ticket because I promised my wife I’d sleep on it. I’ve been watching the Cubs my whole life, and when you’ve been doing that, you know that this team is truly special. I know it seems crazy, but what am I risking, really? I could save for six more years, and maybe I’d have, what, a quarter million to live on for the rest of my life? And that’s if the market doesn’t tank again. What kills me is that I didn’t do this sooner, back in April, or before the season started. I could have gotten six to one or better back then.”
It certainly seemed like a feel-good story at the time, with a 54-year-old Chicago Cubs fan betting his retirement nest egg on the premise that his favorite team could win it all. While the Cubs now have the best odds to win the 2016 World Series at 3-to-1, it’s still a huge risk to put that much money on the line. The reality may be that not only did this purported carpenter with a school teacher as a wife not place this bet, but he may also not even exist.
That feel good story about dude betting life savings on Cubs to win World Series? Ticket is fake, per @DavidPurdum pic.twitter.com/1vntCBQJ1s
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 10, 2016
In the May 10 MLB standings, the Chicago Cubs have the best record in baseball at 25-6. With star players like Jake Arrieta, Kris Bryant, and Anthony Rizzo leading the way, most baseball analysts feel that the Cubs could represent the National League in the World Series. Many bets have already been placed in Las Vegas for that very outcome, shifting the odds more in favor of the casinos than the fans. But it doesn’t seem like any fan has wagered as much money as Don Majewski was reportedly putting on the line.
What could be interesting to see is whether or not there is any fallout over this Chicago Cubs World Series bet hoax. At least Major League Baseball had a story that didn’t involve Bryce Harper going around for a few news cycles.
[Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images]
