Man risked all his life savings on one roulette spin and it changed his life forever: 'I picked red...'

Some people are just wired to take chances in life, and the gambling world stands ready for them. Taking his shot at one single roulette spin, that could make or break his life, Ashley Revell from the UK gambled everything he owned for the big prize. He stepped into the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, not knowing his life would change forever after a risky gamble. Revell’s stunt, which was televised, became an overnight legend for gambling enthusiasts and fans after he doubled his money by choosing red, per CNN. 

Revell gambled $97,500 on the roulette spin and doubled his lifelong worth of savings in a jiffy, winning $195,000 after the ball stopped on his chosen color. "It was just… pleading that I’d pick[ed] it and that it would come in red," the gambler said in the interview. The Sky One reality show, Double or Nothing, aired the miraculous victory live, and viewers popped in with suggestions to help Revell decide. Initially, the man had considered choosing black on the roulette spin, but the overwhelming number of red votes from viewers urged him to do so. His stars may have aligned at that moment as the wheel stopped spinning right when the ball plopped at Red 7. 

“Before I actually walked up to the wheel, I was thinking about putting it on black, and then suddenly the guy was spinning the ball around and all the Sky viewers said … they [had] voted that I should put it on red," Revell recalled. Leading up to that nail-biting moment, he was worried about the worst-case scenario that would cost him everything he had worked for until now. In addition, the man also feared the disappointment of his family and friends upon his loss. 

Regardless, Revell’s roulette glory made waves on the internet and also inspired a second reality show, Red or Black, per the source. Following his win, the Revell family celebrated with a bottle of champagne. "It was just wicked. I can't describe my feelings going through that. It has just been a complete sort of roller coaster ride. First, it's on, then it's off," the winner noted. It is worth noting that his father was completely against Revell’s decision to gamble his possessions and jeopardize his life. “I told him he was a naughty boy, he was a bad boy, he shouldn't do it. He should work like all other kids do,” his father had said, as reported by CNN. 

Elaborating on that, Revell acknowledged that his father’s concerns were understandable. Moreover, looking at all of his friends getting married, having kids, and building a normal life. “He's like any father, he just wants me to settle down and make sure I'm secure,” he said. With big plans in mind, Revell did not hesitate to splurge some on himself, embarking on a cross-Europe motorbike trip and even tipping the croupier a generous amount of $600.

Do not take him for a newbie, the Brit has played poker all his life and even launched his own poker site, pokerutd.com, after his Vegas trip, per Roulettestar. However, he promised never to gamble again after risking everything he owned. An X post by Monkey Tilt (@MonkeyTiltPlay) shared his story on the internet with rare footage of the winning moment.