Court Orders Betfred to Pay Punter £1.7million Pound Blackjack Jackpot
Betfred bookmakers have been ordered by a UK court to pay a customer the £1.7million mobile Blackjack jackpot he won back in 2018, after the company refused to honour the win claiming it was due to a software glitch.
By: Andrew Burnett
Andy Green, from Lincolnshire in England, went “absolutely crazy" after scooping the monster jackpot on the Frankie Dettori Magic Seven Blackjack game.
He spent more than £2500 over 5 days celebrating the jackpot win before a Betfred director called him to say there had been a "software error" and they would not be honouring his win.
Mr Green said when he heard this he felt like he had had his "insides ripped out."
Betfred offered Mr Green £60,000, a token of “goodwill” after he challenged their decision, but the fifty-four year old rejected their offer, instead taking the bookmaking giants to court.
In 2019, he sued Betfred and its parent company, Gibraltar-based Petfre, for £2million, the sum designed to include the interest he would have earned from the win.
That legal battle ended when Mrs Justice Foster ruled that the wording of the clauses Betfred relied upon was "inadequate", and "not transparent or fair and Betfred were not entitled to rely upon them".
Mr Green said after the verdict, “I’m numb, very numb. Pleased it’s over and done with, still so unreal. I don’t know what to say, it’s just unreal, we finally got it to an end, there’s relief.”
He explained that the legal battle had taken its toll, admitting: "Along with my family, I have been through some very low times and become very down. My physical health has also suffered badly, and I sometimes wished I'd never won this money, because it was just making my life a misery. But today, I feel like the world has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel so incredibly happy and relieved - for me, my family and my legal team. The champagne can finally come off ice and be savoured."
Mr Green was categorical in his criticism of Betfred: “This to me today isn’t just a win for me, it’s a win for everybody that they can’t treat people like this. I did nothing wrong, I played a game, I was congratulated for five days on being a millionaire, and then it was snatched away from me.”
His solicitor, Peter Coyle, said: "Over the last three years I think I've done as much counselling as I've given legal advice, as Andy's mental resilience has been tested by Betfred to its very limit. Today's decision by Mrs Justice Foster makes it all worthwhile. Our justice system has delivered exactly the right result and it will give hope to others who may be thinking that the big, rich guys always win."
A Betfred spokesperson maintained the situation wasn’t their fault, even after the verdict, stating: "Mr Green won the jackpot three times whilst playing a game provided by one of our third-party suppliers. The supplier reported a software problem to us and advised that we should withhold payment.”
They did, however, promise the lengthy dispute was at an end, stating: "However, we will abide by the court's decision and not appeal. We would like to apologise to Mr Green for the delay in receiving his money."