BetMGM Golden Goals Player Loses Out on $2.5M Prize by Inches 

BetMGM’s Golden Goal competition is running throughout the Euro 2024 soccer tournament this month. 

In each round of six group games, customers with a BetMGM UK account can predict the scores of each game for free. A £2 million jackpot ($2.538 million) is there waiting for any player who hits all six predictions exactly.

One customer was agonizingly close to becoming the first and only player to hit the jackpot prize this week, losing out by just one goal over the six matches.

Having correctly predicted the first five out of six scores, the $2 million prize went down to the final game of the round – Portugal vs Czech Republic – on Tuesday.

The London UK-based player predicted that Portugal would run out 3-1 winners. The final score? 2-1. 

Meaning, the hopeful winner was just one goal shy of a big win. Instead, they scooped £5000 for making the most correct predictions of anyone, after coming within seconds of hitting them all. 

Dramatic Loss

The BetMGM Golden Goals player went into the final game of the round with $2 million on the line. That’s more than half a year’s salary for some of the top-level professional footballers on the two teams, barring Portugal’s international superstar Ronaldo, who is one the world’s highest-paid athletes. 

The BetMGM Golden Goals hopeful correctly predicted the previous five results of the round. That was Spain 3 – Croatia 0, Italy 2 – Albania 1, Poland – 1 Netherlands 2, Serbia 0 – England 1, and Austria 0 – France 1.

The predicted score of 3-1 had some historical significance, as it was exactly the same score the last time Portugal played the Czech Republic in a Euros game. 

However, this time, it was not to be. A cagey first half saw Czech goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek make some excellent saves to keep out Portugal stars Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Jota. The second half then started with a shock for Portugal, as Lukas Provod scored a 63rd-minute screamer to put them in the lead.

Things were looking nervy for the Golden Goal hopeful, but the bet was still on. 

Five minutes later, Portugal’s comeback started in the cruelest way for the Czechs, with an own goal from Robin Hranac after the ball ricocheted around several defenders. 

Jota then poked in at the back stick with minutes to go. However, the goal was disallowed after assisting player Ronaldo was found to be inches ahead of the Czech defensive line when he played the ball, and therefore, offside.

Sitting at 1-1 going into extra time after 90 minutes, Francisco Conceição hit the winner for the Portuguese, giving hope for the Golden Goal bettor. But eventually, the game ended at 2-1 after 94 minutes. 

A £5000 winner from a completely free entry is, of course, nothing to be sniffed at. But it probably felt more like a $1.99 million loss at that point. 

Golden Goals

BetMGM started running Golden Goals when it launched in the UK in mid-2023. Throughout the English Premier League season, players could predict the scores in each game week for free.

Not one player hit the jackpot, and neither did anyone come within touching distance, like the unlucky player this week. 

The Golden Goals competition continues via BetMGM throughout the Euros tournament over the next month.

Portugal is among BetMGM’s favorites to go the whole way and win the tournament at current odds of 6:1. England is joint favorites for the title alongside France at 4:1, with host nation Germany just behind at 5:1 odds.