A British man who sold all his possessions, including his clothes, stood in a rented tuxedo on Sunday surrounded by family and friends and bet everything on a single spin of the roulette wheel. He won't go home empty handed.
Ashley Revell, a 32-year-old Londoner, sold all his possessions in March, took US$135,300 to the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, did some low-stakes gambling and then placed everything he had left on "Red."
The wheel was spun, a crowd of supporters including his Mum and Dad from London went wild, the ball bobbled over the slots and landed on Red `7' -- and Revell walked away with US$270,600.
"It all happened so quickly, it was spinning before I knew it," Revell said, adding he did not intend to try to double it again. He gave a US$600 tip to the croupier and plans to party -- and buy some clothes.
"I'm still against it," said his Dad. "He shouldn't have done it. He's a naughty boy. I tell my kids they shouldn't gamble. I've got four others and they're all going to want to go the same way."
Asked if he wanted to try his luck again, Revell said: "No that's it for me. I think he'd like me to do it again, but no that's it," gesturing to a casino host.
"I don't want to ride my luck," he said as the champagne began to flow.
This week, the gambling spirits had seemed against him. He put in a week gambling about US$3,000 in a bid to raise his pot.
By Wednesday, he was down US$1,000.
Revell, recently a professional gambler, said he decided to take a big plunge while he was still young and had raised the stakes as high as possible, including selling his clothes.
"I like to do things properly," Revell said.
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