Punter wins 1m pounds with 5op bet

London: A British punter has won £1 million from a fifty pence bet to defy odds of two million to one, a spokesman for bookmaker William Hill said on Saturday.

The punter, who placed his bet in Thirsk in Yorkshire on Friday, was unaware of his new-found wealth until he walked into a betting shop in Bedale and staff told him of his success after he placed five more 50 pence bets for yesterday's racing.

"When they told him he had £1 million to come but would have to collect it from the Thirsk shop he went visibly pale before saying he would have to go and tell his wife," said a William Hill spokesman.