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March is Women's History Month!

Dead Man Wills Winning Wimbledon Bet To Oxfam

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

Our last word in business today is a winning equation.

Now consider this math problem. How much money would you win if you placed a $2,300 bet at 66 to one odds?

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Over a decade ago, a British man named Nicholas Newlife made that very bet. He put his money on Roger Federer winning seven Wimbledon titles. Newlife died three years ago, but he left his betting ticket to the international charity Oxfam.

WERTHEIMER: Oxfam's Andy Barton admits that as a Brit, he was a bit torn while watching that match on Sunday.

ANDY BARTON: The first time that we've had a British player in the finals for 74 years, so half of me kept instinctively cheering for Andy Murray at critical moments of the match, and then suddenly starting to think, oh my gosh. No, I should be backing Federer because this is going to make such a big difference to Oxfam.

MONTAGNE: Federer did win the match, giving him his seventh Wimbledon title.

BARTON: I was obviously extremely pleased when that happened.

WERTHEIMER: So did you work out the math problem? Newlife's bet paid out more than $150,000 to Oxfam.

MONTAGNE: Oxfam's Barton says the funds will be directed towards the current food crisis in West Africa. And he adds, he still hopes Andy Murray will make a comeback.

That's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

WERTHEIMER: And I'm Linda Wertheimer.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.