With 3.5 billion fans the world over, it won't shock anyone to find that football is the biggest sport on the betting scene. The various national and international leagues are some of the most popular matches in the sporting world, and routinely draw in huge crowds of punters.

McIngvale had placed a number of bets adding up to around $10m on the Astros to take the World Series, which meant he netted $75m when Houston closed out the championship with victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Minute Maid Park. The sum is believed to be the largest payout in the history of sports betting.