When Roger Federer came from two sets down to beat Alejandro Falla on the opening day of Wimbledon this week, Oxfam must have breathed a huge sigh of relief. After all, there is almost $152,000 at stake here.
And it’s all because of sports fanatic Nicholas Newlife from Oxfordshire in the UK who died and left his entire estate to Oxfam — in the form of betting slips. As Tonic previously reported, Newlife’s bets from the grave have already netted the charity over $25,000. Now his biggest bet to date could come in, if Roger Federer defends his title at Wimbledon.
One of several bets placed by the 69-year-old before he died, was that his favorite tennis player would win Wimbledon’s men’s final at least seven times before 2020. Having been crowned champion at Wimbledon six times already, the chances are pretty high. And even if he doesn’t win, he’s got until 2019 to make sure he does. No pressure, Fed …
Cathy Ferrier, a spokesperson at Oxfam, said leaving money in a will to charity is not as uncommon as you might think, reports Britain’s Daily Telegraph. “Legacies amount to 10 percent of our total income from individuals and as this case proves, they can come in all shapes and sizes.” Of course gambling from the grave is one of the more unusual methods of donation. In fact, it’s “a unique eventuality in our experience,” said a spokesman from the bookmakers William Hill to Britain’s Independent, which confirmed: “We will, of course, be handing the profits from his far-sighted wager to them just as soon as Federer holds the trophy aloft for a seventh time.”
Lets keep our fingers crossed! Today the champion takes on Serbia’s Ilija Bozoljac … go Roger!
Photo via streaminghqd.com.