Man hits 100th year jackpot
Tue 24 Apr 2007 2pm
A British centenarian is £25,000 better off today after winning a bet that he would make it to his 100th year.
Alec Holden, from Epson, Surrey, turned 100 on Tuesday and has claimed a £25,000 prize from bookmaker William Hill for doing so.
Retired engineer Mr Holden placed a bet ten years ago that he would live to 100 and was given odds of 250/1 by his local bookie.
He put his longevity down to eating porridge for breakfast for breakfast, not worrying too much, playing chess each day, going on lots of holidays and not working too hard.
Joking that he had been "very careful" in the period leading up to his 100th birthday, Mr Holden said that he planned to celebrate his win with friends and family and had already received a birthday card from the Queen.
With more and more people living to the age of 100, bookmakers are expected to have to fork out large sums over the coming years to people who have placed bets on their own longevity.