The Nome Nugget

Devout Against Gamblin Briton Wins Soccer Pool

LONDON (AP)A $22.40-a-week railroad worker, afraid to tell his wife and son he had gambled, won $449,229 for a farthing (a quarter of a cent) bet in the weekly soccer pool Tuesday.

When officials of the betting establishment found the railroad man he was hiding at his home, trying to find a way to explain his good fortune to his devoutly religious family.

The man, whose identiy was kept secret, said he had realized after Saturday's matches that he had correctly forecast the eight ties and was hoping other bettors might have done the same, thus cutting down the amount of his winnings. But he was the sole one to do so and got the entire prize.

"I saw no harm in having a little flutter and would have welcomed a small win." he said, "but this record win has staggered me."

He said he and his wife had scrimped and saved over the years to give their two sons a good religious education, one in which they had learned to regard gambling as an evil.

Betting on the soccer matches is a British way of life. Virtually every family participates. Betting is legal in Britain and the winnings are tax free.