Soldier Jon Heywood Scoops £13.2 Million From 25p Punt After Online Betting Win

This Soldier Will Use His Improbable Betting Fortune To Help His Ailing Father

Many of us have placed bets on the off chance of winning a few pounds.

But when Jon Heywood, a 27-year-old soldier from Cheshire, decided to place a 25p punt on betting site Betway.com he thought little of it.

Until he received word he'd won an incredible £13,213,838.68 after a 'Mega Moolah' slot machine game ended in his favour, Sky News reported.

A representative of Betway.com hands Heywood, left, a cheque for his win

Heywood was stunned by the news on the 6 October, and had to keep quiet about the win for three days - even continuing to work in the meantime.

Now he says he'll use the money to support his father - who is waiting for crucial transplant surgery - and to provide him with "the best possible medical treatment".

Heywood told Press Association: "That's more important than anything. Family comes first and I'd give all this money back for him to be healthy again."

But there will be some luxury purchases too, including a flash Bentley sports car and a family cruise in the Mediterranean.

"I'm trying not to get carried away," he said, "I really don't know what else I'm going to buy with the money, apart from a yellow Bentley Continental GT.

"I never even dreamed of driving a Bentley, let alone owning one. I've got a Fiat Punto at the moment."

Heywood, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, said his mother "cried a little bit" when he told her the news.

The jackpot is also likely to be the largest from an online slot machine game, narrowly beating a win in Finland in 2013.

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