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My new hero has to be the guy who managed to keep William Hill gambling group’s profits from rising too high. Don’t get me wrong. I love William Hill – and all bookies for that matter – but the report that one guy managed to win a massive GBP 5 million off this giant through its phone betting service caused me to give him a mental thumbs up. According to the CEO of William Hill, the high roller impacted its phone betting division so much that it made a loss of £1.8 million in 2009. So what did William Hill do about this guy? Well, we wouldn’t say that a tactful hint was what the group had in mind. They promptly closed his account and banned him from betting again. “We’ve effectively told him ‘Enough is enough’, said CEO Ralph Topping.
So, Tom the shepherd is tending his flock and along comes a man in a suit down the dusty street. The man stops and says to Tom, “I bet you I can guess exactly how many sheep you have.” Tom looks skeptical and says, “Yeah? And what’s in it for me?” The man answers: “If I am not correct, I’ll pay you £1000. If I’m correct, you’ll give me one of your sheep”. Tom thinks this is a great deal and agrees. The man looks at the flock and says: “You have 2,023 sheep!” Tom is astounded and says: “Amazing!” The man picks up one of the animals and turns to go. “Wait a moment, sir,” says Tom. “Let’s make another bet: If I can guess your job, you will give me back my sheep, and if I don’t, you can take another one.” The man agrees to the bet and the shepherd says, “You’re an accountant”. The man is stunned in return and says: “How did you know?” Tom answers: “Put down my dog and I’ll explain.”