Man bets his life savings on the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series

Man bet his life savings on the Cubs winning the World Series.
(Image credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport)

Update May 11: ESPN writer David Payne Purdum tweeted that MGM has claimed the ticket in the photograph "has been altered and is illegitimate." Our original post appears below.

The Chicago Cubs are currently the best team in baseball by a significant margin — but not so significant that it is advisable to withdraw your entire retirement fund and bet on them winning the World Series. No one told that to Don Majewski, though.

Majewski, a Chicago resident and lifelong Cubs fan, withdrew $200,000 — or 94 percent of his retirement savings — and flew to Las Vegas to bet on a 3-1 payout. "What kills me is that I didn't do this sooner, back in April, or before the season started. I could have gotten six to one or better back then," Majewski told Net One News.

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The Cubs are 24-6 and one of only 10 teams in MLB history to win 24 of their first 30 games — and as CBS points out, five of those other nine teams did go on to win it all.

"I waited overnight before buying the ticket because I promised my wife I'd sleep on it. I've been watching the Cubs my whole life, and when you've been doing that, you know that this team is truly special,” Majewski said.

The Cubs have not won a World Series in 108 years. Jeva Lange

Editor's note: A previous version of this article misstated where the bet was placed. It has since been corrected. We regret the error.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.