Bookmakers avoid £150m pay-out after England World Cup loss

As countless English football fans shed tears following the country’s noble defeat, bookmakers across the country breathed a sigh of relief having saved themselves an estimated £150m.

Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek said: “Jubilation turned to despair across the streets of England last night, with the mood of a nation crashing down like a lead balloon.

“Everyone in the nation that is, except bookmakers – whose sighs of relief are likely louder than their moans of despair as they avoided one of their biggest ever pay-outs.”

Some hopeful fans have been betting on a Three Lions win since 2015, with odds of up to 25/1 – giving many a bookmaker Grobbelar knees.

If England were to have won the World Cup, British bookmakers would have faced the biggest payout in betting history; overshadowing the Cheltenham Festival in 2016, where bookies lost an estimated £60m.