Arron Freeman transforms his life with Betfred’s biggest ever payout – a staggering 766,667,000% return on stake
A scaffolder who was living between his father’s home and a pub run by his partner’s parents has scooped an incredible £11.5 million jackpot – from just a £1.50 bet.
Arron Freeman, 44, was playing an online slot machine called Mega Moolah on the Betfred website when his lines came up and transformed his life forever.
The astonishing payout – the biggest in the gambling firm’s 58-year history – represents a mind-blowing 766,667,000 per cent return on his tiny stake.
‘I’M IN SHOCK’
Mr Freeman was still struggling to accept the impact of his June 5 win when contacted by the Mail today.
The 44-year-old said the win would change his circumstances “big time”, adding: “I need a little time to get my head around it.
He added: “I am in shock. I don’t want to say too much more at the moment.”
PARTNER’S RECOVERY JOURNEY
Mr Freeman is in a relationship with Kelly Dighton, who is understood to be in her 40s and has a TikTok account (@kelly.dighton) where she posts videos every day about her recovery from drug addiction.
Recent updates, understood to be before her partner’s big win, excitedly announced she was more than 100 days clean and was looking to start a business.
In April, Freeman had shared one of her posts on Facebook, commenting: “What can I say apart from I’m so proud of you, my beautiful woman! You’re getting stronger by the day, which is making me stronger by the day!”
LIVING BETWEEN TWO HOMES
Ms Dighton’s parents run the Lake Lothing Public House on Rotterdam Road in Lowestoft, where Freeman had been partly living.
The scaffolder, who runs ASL Scaffolding, was understood to have been splitting his time between the pub and his father’s house in Mulbarton.
A friend, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Aaron is still in shock, and it hasn’t really set in.”
CHARITY PLANS
Despite his windfall, Freeman revealed plans to use money from selling his story to build a homeless shelter.
Basically, I am going to sell my story to the highest bidder, I have had the Mail, the Sun, the Telegraph all after me and I am waiting to hear back,” he explained.
“The money the highest bidder gives me is going to go to be put towards building a homeless shelter, so it’s going to go to a good cause.”
RECORD-BREAKING WIN
The life-changing win occurred on Thursday, June 5, when Freeman put just £1.50 into the progressive jackpot game.
The total payout of £11,498,211.89 smashed Betfred’s previous record of £5.4 million won by a Newcastle customer in 2003.
Mega Moolah, developed by Games Global, has been creating millionaires since 2006 and has paid out more than €600 million in jackpots.
PERSONAL CALL FROM THE BOSS
Betfred founder Fred Done personally called the winner to offer his congratulations and invited him to a Manchester United home match as his guest.
“He’s a sensible chap and is planning to invest some of his winnings into property for his family,” said Mr Done. “But not before enjoying a holiday of a lifetime.”
In a surprising piece of advice, the bookmaker boss also told Freeman to never gamble again.
LIFELONG RACING FAN
Freeman revealed he had been a horse racing punter his whole life but had never hit the jackpot like this before.
I’ve been a horse-racing punter my whole life and hit the cross bar a few times with some of my accas but obviously never hit the jackpot like this,” he said.
“It was the missus idea that we gave the casino a go and we certainly got lucky!”
Despite his massive win, Freeman said he would continue betting on horses but would stick to his “normal small stakes.
MANCHESTER UNITED SUPPORTER
As a lifelong Manchester United fan, Freeman was particularly excited about Fred Done’s invitation to Old Trafford.
“It’s still sinking in, but it was class of Fred to phone me. He told me to look after my cash and that is my plan,” he said.
I’m looking forward to meeting Fred at a Manchester United home game. Hopefully, we will both celebrate if the reds win!”
MEGA MOOLAH MAGIC
The safari-themed Mega Moolah slot has become legendary in the online gaming world for its massive progressive jackpots.
With an average Mega Jackpot payout of €6.69 million every 49 days, it has created numerous multi-millionaires from tiny stakes.
Andrew Booth, Chief Product Officer at Games Global, said: “Mega Moolah has long been synonymous with mega wins, and this latest jackpot is a powerful reminder of the excitement that progressive networks bring.
FROM SCAFFOLDING TO MILLIONS
For Freeman, who runs his own scaffolding business, the win represents an unimaginable change in fortune.
From living between two homes and working in construction to becoming an instant multi-millionaire – all from a casual £1.50 bet suggested by his partner.
As he prepares to collect his record-breaking prize, Freeman’s story serves as a reminder that life can change in an instant – though as Fred Done wisely advised, lightning rarely strikes twice.
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