I remember this. He asked the readers of the british tabloid "The Sun" what colour to bet on and they voted something like 60/40 on red. Its not fake.

This in fact was real, it did happen, the network contract was worth $60,000 USD if he won or lost. It was part of a reality show, aired on US television and possibly in the UK as well. If I remember correctly his friends and family were kept unaware of the TV contract until after the win so their excitement would be genuine.