An England fan who spent £10,000 of his life savings to take his grandfather to the World Cup has been stunned after a cryptocurrency casino gifted him the money back. Jacob Allmendinger, 21, from North Ferriby, East Yorkshire, sacrificed the cash he had saved for a house deposit to take Geoff Golliker, 80, on the trip of a lifetime to the United States and Mexico.
Heartwarming story goes viral
Jacob and Geoff have travelled to New York and Atlanta for England's group matches against Panama and DR Congo, and witnessed the historic 3-2 win over Mexico at the Azteca Stadium. During their time abroad, the pair have been stopped in the street by people recognising them after their story went viral. Jacob said he had been bombarded with positive messages since the story made headlines.
Speaking before the trip, Jacob said: 'I can always make money back, I'm at the age where I can afford to miss out on a house for two or three years. But I won't ever get to go to the World Cup with my grandad again. We get on like a house on fire. We're more best mates than grandad and grandson.'
Crypto casino honours promise
Jacob was contacted on social media by US-based online crypto casino Metawin, which vowed to pay back the £10,000 if England beat Panama by more than two goals. When England won only 2-0, Metawin tweeted that they would still pay if England beat DR Congo by any score. After England's 2-1 victory, the company honoured the promise, leaving Jacob stunned.
Jacob said: 'I was amazed, it was an incredible gesture really. They had contacted me on social media about the story and tweeted about paying the money back if we beat Panama by more than two goals. When we only won 2-0 they said they would still pay £10,000 if we won against DR Congo by any score. I didn't quite believe it, to be honest, until I looked at my bank and it was there. I was just in shock.'
Plans for the refund
Jacob plans to save the money for now. 'I think I'll save the money until I get back home. I'll put it in a savings account for now and see what happens after the next couple of months. We could go to the European Championships, I could buy a house, anything is possible. It's just great to have options.'
The pair are still in Mexico and flying to Miami for the quarter-final. Jacob added: 'The Mexico game was a once-in-a-generation game to watch. The parallels to now and 1966, when we last beat Mexico in the World Cup and then went on to win the whole thing, it kind of gets you giddy for the rest of the trip.'
Grandad's perspective
Geoff said: 'We're getting recognised quite a bit. When we were in New York, a guy came up to us and said, 'are you the guys travelling round?' It was brilliant. The Mexican fans were absolutely fantastic. Very happy, very boisterous. The atmosphere that's built up is fantastic.'
Jacob's story has resonated widely. He told the BBC: 'I think it just resonates with people. I've had people reach out who have lost their grandparents and wish they'd done something similar. It just makes us cherish this time more, really.'
