Bet was giant step for bookies

♦ The Moon landing changed history for bookmakers when a betting company took the first ever bet that was not sports related.

In 1964, 20-year-old David Threlfall placed a £10 bet – the equivalent of around £160 today – with odds of 1,000-1 that a man would walk on the moon before January 1 1970.

William Hill was forced to pay out £10,000 to Threlfall after the Americans succeeded and in total £50,000 – or more than £800,000 in today’s money – to others who had made similar wagers. “At the time, David Threlfall’s bet was the first of its kind in British bookmaking history. No firm had ever taken a bet that was not sports related,” said Joe Crilly, the William Hill spokesman.

Threlfall died after crashing the sports car he had bought. William Hill currently has odds of 50-1 that man walks on Mars before 2030 and 1,000-1 that intelligent alien life is confirmed to exist before the end of next year.