Lanning Hits Xpressbet $50k Preakness Wager

Tim Lanning, the Grand Prize Winner of Xpressbet’s $50K Preakness Big Bet Sweepstakes, is the most recent of Xpressbet’s Big Bet winners to turn winning the Sweepstakes into a significant payday at the windows.  Armed with a $50,000 Win bet on the Preakness Stakes, Lanning traveled to Pimlico for the race and chose to place his wager on California Chrome, returning him a life-changing payout.  Sent off as the 1-2 favorite, California Chrome stalked the pacesetters prior to striking the front and held off a late challenge from Ride On Curlin to win Saturday’s Preakness by 1 ½ lengths. 

“I want to thank everyone at Xpressbet for providing me with an experience that I will never forget,” said Lanning.  “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever attend the Preakness, let alone make a bet this big on a race.  This truly is a life-changing moment, and I couldn’t be more thankful to Xpressbet for giving me this opportunity.  California Chrome is a remarkable racehorse and I can’t believe I had the opportunity to cheer him down the stretch from the winner’s circle.”

A lifelong racing fan, Lanning used to live in the shadow of Belmont Park and previously worked as a hotwalker at the track.  He hadn’t attended a Triple Crown race since moving to Florida 7 years ago, and is now considering a trip home to New York to cheer on California Chrome in the Belmont Stakes on June 7, adding “California Chrome has played such a major role in everything for me that it feels right to be there to cheer him on as he tries to make history.”  

Xpressbet’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Kerry Carlson, added, “We couldn’t be happier for Tim and watching him celebrate California Chrome’s victory was incredibly exciting for us.  We created the Big Bet Sweepstakes to give horseplayers and racing fans the opportunity to experience racing’s most prestigious events and to give them the opportunity to change their lives by making their wager.  Our customers’ enthusiasm for the Sweepstakes has been extraordinary, and we look forward to running more promotions like this in the future.”

The Xpressbet $50K Preakness Big Bet Sweepstakes rewarded customers with entries for every wager they made through Xpressbet between April 1 and May 4, 2014.  At the culmination of the Sweepstakes, 1 Grand Prize Winner was selected as the winner of a VIP trip for 2 to the 139th Running of the Preakness Stakes, along with $50,000 to place a Win wager on a horse in the race.  50 Second Prize Winners each won a $100 wagering voucher at Xpressbet. 

This is the third time this year that the winner of an Xpressbet Big Bet Sweepstakes turned his wager into a winning one.  In the $10K Big Bet Sweepstakes earlier this year, winners Tom Guadagno and Scott Shore each cashed winning $10,000 wagers on the Florida and Santa Anita Derbies.  Guadagno made his $10,000 Win bet on Constitution in the Florida Derby, while Shore placed his $10,000 wager on California Chrome in the Santa Anita Derby.