It’s taken over three years but a High Court ruling means that Andy Green from Washingborough Lincolnshire, can finally claim a £1.7 million jackpot. He had been playing a blackjack game on the Betfred online site, but they refused to pay him his winnings.
His big win came playing the Playtech Frankie Dettori Magic Seven Blackjack game on his mobile phone. However, his celebrations soon came to an end when Betfred refused to pay him his £1.7 million. They claimed that an error meant the blackjack game wasn’t operating as it should.
High Court Ruling
Today (April 7), High Court judge Mrs Justice Foster gave Mr Green the news he’d waited over three years to hear. The judge ruled that Betfred had no grounds for not paying him his winnings. The lucky winner won’t just receive the £1.7 million but also some interest too.
After his win, there didn’t seem to be any problems. The lucky player extended his overdraft and spent over £2,500 celebrating his win. Then a few days later began his battle to receive his winnings. A Betfred director contacted him saying a “software error” had occurred and they were rejecting his claim. That was a conversation that left the winner feeling as if he’d had “insides ripped out.”
At one stage, Betfred offered him £60,000 as a token of “goodwill.” If he accepted that payment, Mr Green would have had to agree never to talk about the claim again. Not surprisingly, he decided to refuse that offer.
Legal action began in April 2019 against Betfred and their parent company Petfre for £2 million. Betfred claimed that a problem with the software had prevented the game from resetting properly. Such a situation is covered in the terms and conditions of the blackjack game.
Betfred said that the jackpot had been won by Mr Green three times. The third-party suppliers of the game reported the software problem, and their advice was not to make any payment.
This did not satisfy the High Court judge. In her opinion, the wording of the clause was “inadequate” and nor was it transparent or fair. The judge ruled that Betfred were not entitled to rely on it to deny payment.
High Court Statement
A statement released after the High Court ruling said that he and his family had “been through some very low times and become very down” and his physical health had suffered badly.
Such was the worry caused he said: “I sometimes wished I’d never won this money because it was making my life a misery.” Today’s ruling has changed all of that though. “I feel like the world has been lifted off my shoulders,” his statement said. Now it’s time for the champagne celebration.
Betfred say they will abide with the decision. They have apologized to Mr Green and announced there will not be an appeal against the decision.
Mr Green’s lawyer Peter Coyle believes it is an important decision for gamblers. He said it would “give hope to others who may be thinking that the big, rich guys always win.”
