Professional gambler Chris Broom and two friends have landed a payout of more than £470,000 - and could scoop a further £340,000-plus this weekend.

Chris, 40, was born near Brighton racecourse and worked for Coral bookmakers before being made redundant and becoming a professional punter.

Last weekend, Chris, with a friend from East Sussex and another from London, landed the Tote Scoop6 payout of 473,709.90.

The Scoop6 game is popular among gamblers on the horse racing circuit. It involves placing bets on the winning horses in six races televised by Channel 4 racing on a Saturday.

Most punters' chances of clinching the big money were scuppered when the penultimate race was won by a 50-1 outsider, Royal Cavalier, in the November Handicap at Doncaster.

But Chris's syndicate had placed bets on all 24 runners in a carefully-calculated gamble and had the only winning ticket from more than 200,000 bought nationwide.

Chris, who saw the races at home, recalled: "It was pretty agonising watching the last race with one horse between me and that huge amount of money. It was very stressful."

He and his friends could top up their winnings by another £342,491 if they select the winner of the bonus race at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Chris, who now lives in Petersfield, Hampshire, said of his win: "It still hasn't sunk in yet, so I haven't thought about what I'll spend the money on. I'll wait until the dust settles."

He added: "I've always had an interest in racing and was born just a stone's throw from the racecourse in Brighton."

On his life as a professional gambler, he said: "Bookmakers win overall but there are a small number of people who can make a living out of it.

"It certainly is not impossible."

Chris and his two friends - who want to remain anonymous - were keeping tight-lipped about how much they had laid out but it is believed to have been a four-figure sum.