You win some, and you lose some. That’s just the way life goes. We’re all about gambling here at Roulette Online, so we’ve decided to put together an infographic on some of the most epic – and not to mention the riskiest – business gambles ever made. You’ll find familiar names like Roy Wayne, Mark Zuckerberg, George Lucas and Howard Schultz who didn’t shy away from a good venture, even when the outcome wasn’t favourable. It’s usually those who are willing to take the significant risks that enjoy the highest rewards. So, let’s see who knocked it out of the park or who missed out on millions.
Lucky Number Seven
Would you dare withdraw your savings and sell all your possessions (your house, business, your car even your clothes) to jet off to the city of sin, Las Vegas, and wager it all on one single bet in a game of Roulette? Well, 32-year-old Ashley Revell, from Kent in the UK, did just that. On 11th April 2004, he put down an enormous sum of £135,300 on the colour red. He had less than a 50% chance of winning that wager and guess what? He won! He couldn’t believe his eyes when the ball finally came to a halt on lucky number seven, red. Believe it or not, the hardest part was finding a casino (even in Vegas!) which would take the bet. In the end, the Plaza Hotel & Casino accepted the risky wager. That same day Revell took home $270,000. It’s probably the most famous bet in gambling history.
£4.6 Million in the Trash!
What would you do if you lost £4.6 million? Well, I don’t suppose you’d be too thrilled – that’s an understatement. By now we’ve all heard about the digital currency that has taken the world by storm. Of course, I’m talking about Bitcoin. By 2009, Welshman James Howells from Newport, generated 7,500 Bitcoins during a time when the currency was only known in tech circles, and it was relatively easy to ‘mine’ digital currency. Being in IT, he created the money by computing, in other words, he ran a program on his laptop for a week to generate the cash. Doing so today would require some costly computing power. Head to our infographic to find out what happened to Howells’ stash of Bitcoins. Speaking of Bitcoins, did you know you can play Roulette using the digital currency?
The Force Is Strong with George Lucas
Today, Star Wars is one of the most financially successful movies of all time. Funnily enough, in 1977, it was expected to be a huge flop as it was a time when nobody took sci-fi movies seriously. The franchise made Lucas one of the most successful people in the entertainment industry, despite giving up control and handing over his rights in 2012. So, how did he do it? It all went down during a business meeting with 20th Century Fox right before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released. Lucas made a smart move by taking over the licensing and merchandising rights when he did. Our infographic has all the details on the deal, check it out to see how much he gained on his initial gamble.
The Emperor’s Big Mistake
Due to its abundance of natural resources such as petroleum, gold and fish, today, Alaska is one of the richest U.S. states. Its vast expanse of native wildlife and its strategic position as a gateway to the Arctic makes it extremely desirable. I bet Russia’s emperor, Tsar Alexander II, wish he knew that before he sold the land he inherited from his father to the United States. This all went down in 1867 when he signed away his country’s last remaining foothold in North America which also brought to an end Russia’s 125-year odyssey and its expansion across the Bering Sea. It was a huge sale! Have a look at our infographic to see how much the state is worth today and how much Tsar Alexander II’s mistake cost him.
Rejection Pays
Who in the right mind would turn down the opportunity to buy Google, the multinational technology company worth billions! Excite’s CEO, George Bell let it slip through his fingers back in 1999 when Google’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, wanted to sell their product for a fraction of the price it’s worth now. Back then, the guys were just university students and their search engine was called BackRub. Bell believed that their search engine would be bad for Excite’s advertising business as it was too effective an engine and would direct users away from the site too quickly. He wanted a search engine that was only 80% as good as that of his competitors. As a result, the deal fell through, and the young boys kept their search engine. How much do you think they profited from the rejection? Go to our infographic to find out how much Google is worth and to see some other risky successes and flops.
