"bet a million"

[James A. Landau]

John Warne "Bet A Million" Gates, born May 18, 1855, died August 9, 1911.

"He gambled at poker, the stock market, and horse races. In 1900 at a horse
race in England he bet $70,000 on Royal Flush with 5½-to-1 odds and won
$600,000. Rumors had him winning over $2 million and said he had bet a cool
million, a fabrication that gave him his nickname. "
(from http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/GG/fga41.html,
"The Handbook of Texas Online", by The Texas State Historical Association)

     - Jim Landau