章節 254: Chapter 254: The Opportunity Worth Hundreds of Millions
The next day, Xia Yu continued with his betting activities.
Having his own car made things much more convenient. He drove around London, moving from place to place like a guerrilla fighter, hitting different betting shops and placing small bets at each location. Although each shop only saw a modest bet, the sheer number of bets Xia Yu placed added up.
Moreover, Xia Yu specifically chose high odds for his bets. For bets that were bound to lose or had a high chance of losing, he placed smaller amounts to avoid raising suspicion from others.
Of course, Xia Yu did not limit himself to betting in London alone, despite it being the city with the highest concentration of major betting companies. Even though he covered every betting shop, there was still a risk involved. Therefore, with his car, he traveled to nearby cities like Southampton on the southern coast.
In addition to placing bets in physical betting shops, Xia Yu also continued to use phone and other remote betting methods to further reduce the risk of detection.
As the day went by in a flurry of betting and traveling, Xia Yu decided not to return but instead planned to spend the night in Southampton.
Moreover, for the coming days, Xia Yu intended to travel extensively across the UK to place all the necessary bets. This was a golden opportunity with the capital swelling rapidly. If he could place the bets within these days, he was confident he would become wealthy overnight.
Historically, this World Cup had been exceptionally profitable for betting companies. No one had anticipated that Argentina, which was in an absolute disadvantage and almost impossible to reach the finals, would end up lifting the World Cup trophy!
This World Cup was also filled with controversies and scandals, leaving a lasting impression on everyone. Even decades later, many who experienced it firsthand still held strong feelings about it.
There were accusations that Argentina won the World Cup through "cheating."
Indeed, from the outset, this World Cup was destined to be mired in controversy because Argentina's bid to host the World Cup was tainted with ulterior motives! The Argentine government used various means to secure the hosting rights.
All of this originated from the current Argentine military government.
Argentina was under the dark rule of the Videla military government. Historically, from 1976 to 1981, Videla's regime established the most notorious military government in the Western Hemisphere, employing kidnapping, assassination, and torture to brutally suppress leftist guerrillas and democratic progressives to quell domestic resistance movements.
To consolidate the military government's rule, Videla also dissolved the parliament, banned trade unions, and concentrated all legislative power in the hands of nine senior military officers, making his orders equivalent to law.
According to incomplete statistics, during Videla's rule, approximately 10,000 to 30,000 people were killed or disappeared, about 500,000 were forced into exile, and the number of those imprisoned or tortured was countless.
The actions of the Videla military government tarnished its international reputation, and few countries were willing to engage with it. To improve its poor international image and to ease domestic hostility towards the military government, Videla managed to secure the 1978 World Cup hosting rights through various means and hoped to restore its reputation by winning the championship.
It was under this historical backdrop that the 11th World Cup was held in Argentina. As a football powerhouse, Argentina's "Tango Team" was naturally formidable. With many famous players like Kempes, Bertoni, Tarantini, and Fillol, and the advantage of being the host, Argentina was a strong contender for the title.
In such a situation, the odds offered by major betting companies for Argentina to win the championship were not high.
However, football is unpredictable. Even if a team is strong and overwhelms its opponents, it cannot guarantee that its competitors will be weak.
So, despite Argentina's one win and one draw in the second round of group matches, Brazil performed even better with two wins and one draw, and had a three-goal advantage over Argentina. To compete for the World Cup, Argentina had to top its group in the second round.
Under these circumstances, Argentina had to defeat the strong South American team Peru with a score of 4:0 in the third match.
Winning 4:0 against a team of equal strength was an almost insurmountable challenge with a near-zero chance of happening! In football, especially between strong teams, a draw is normal, and scoring even one goal is extremely difficult, let alone Argentina scoring four while Peru scores none! How could that be possible?
So, Argentina's chances of winning the championship seemed bleak, and major betting companies adjusted the odds for Brazil to win the championship while increasing the odds for Argentina significantly.
When everyone believed Argentina had no chance, despite the high odds offered by the betting companies, few people were willing to bet on it.
However, when Brazil was comfortably sitting as the favorite, the world was shocked when Argentina defeated Peru with a stunning 6:0 score in a highly anticipated match. After pushing Brazil out, Argentina advanced powerfully to the final. In the final, Argentina defeated the Netherlands 3:1, lifting the World Cup trophy for the first time in history.
The victory led to nationwide celebrations in Argentina, elevating national pride to unprecedented heights, and the Videla military government managed to overcome its crisis and maintained its rule until 1981.
Considering various influencing factors and the surprising 6:0 scoreline, no one believed that the Videla government had not manipulated the outcome.
Later, Peruvian media revealed that Argentina's military government had made a dirty deal with the Peruvian military government, exchanging 35,000 tons of grain and 50 million dollars in loans for the victory. From the performance of the teams at that time, Peruvians appeared to be disinterested and there were serious suspicions of match-fixing.
However, such matters were never openly admitted, and no one dared to publicly testify, as it involved the military governments of South America.
Thus, it remained a mystery that even in later years, the truth was never revealed! The FIFA did not allow it, the Peruvian government did not allow it, and the Argentine government certainly did not allow it!
Due to the unexpected outcome of this World Cup, the vast majority of bettors suffered significant losses, while major betting companies reaped enormous profits. It was like a windfall from heaven, a godsend for the Videla government!
In this life, the match between Argentina and Peru had not yet begun, but it was only a matter of days. With Brazil's strong performance, major betting companies had already begun adjusting the odds for Argentina to win the championship.
Once Brazil's match was completed, the situation would become clear, and Argentina's odds of winning the championship would reach their peak. Odds of several dozens of times were normal.
These were the odds for victory and championship. If bets were placed on specific scores, the odds would increase as the score gap widened. If any betting company offered a 6:0 score, odds exceeding fifty times were normal, as few dared to bet on what seemed like a certain loss.
But for someone like Xia Yu, who knew everything, it was the best opportunity!
The previous bets were just minor gains with low odds. The real feast was yet to come. With time closing in, Xia Yu was already eager to go. He planned to strike hard and accumulate his capital as if riding a rocket.
As long as he bet correctly on this match, making hundreds of millions of pounds was absolutely feasible, and the risk would not be high!
Because that match was one where nearly 99.99% of people were wrong. Major betting companies would collect money without having to pay out much, and the volume of money involved would be astonishing. Xia Yu could easily extract hundreds of millions of pounds without being detected.
Even if detected, the betting companies, overwhelmed with joy, wouldn't resort to desperate measures.
Moreover, with dozens of betting companies across the UK and other international companies also operating betting points in the UK, distributing hundreds of millions of pounds across various betting companies would make each individual company's exposure minimal.
Furthermore, spreading the money across numerous betting points further reduced the chances of detection.
This consideration was why Xia Yu persisted in moving around and placing bets despite the inconvenience.
While it was troublesome, it was worth it for the sake of secrecy and safety!
Money is important, but what matters most is having a life to enjoy it!
With such enormous capital within reach, Xia Yu's motivation was clear.
Keep pushing forward! Stay determined! Victory is coming!
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