Betfred: Blackjack gamer wins ₤ 1.7 m prize after High Court fight

7 April 2021

A Betfred punter rejected a ₤ 1.7 m prize over an alleged software problem has actually won a legal fight to claim the payouts.

Andy Green, from Lincolnshire, scooped the reward in January 2018 while playing a blackjack video game on his phone.

The bookie refused to pay out, claiming the mistake meant the game was not operating effectively.

High Court judge Mrs Justice Foster ruled in Mr Green's favour and stated the business had no premises for withholding payment.

The judgement implies Mr Green, from Washingborough, will finally receive his payout, plus interest, after a three-year fight.

'Champagne all set'

In a statement, he stated the lengthy row over the payment had made him wish he 'd never ever won.

"Along with my household, I have actually been through some extremely low times and become extremely down," he stated.

"My physical health has actually also suffered badly, and I sometimes wished I 'd never ever won this promotion code money, because it was just making my life a misery.

"But today, I feel like the world has actually been lifted off my shoulders and I feel so incredibly happy and relieved - for me, my family and my legal team.

"The champagne can lastly come off ice and be savoured."

Betfred apologised for the delay in Mr Green getting his money and stated it would not appeal against the ruling.

Speaking in 2018, he said he had gone "definitely insane" after scooping the prize on the yohaig code Frankie Dettori Magic Seven Blackjack game.

Following the win, he extended his overdraft and invested more than ₤ 2,500 commemorating with household and good friends.

In her ruling, Mrs Justice Foster said when he later called Betfred they "did not look for at this promotion code point to recommend other than that he was a huge winner".

But a couple of days later, a Betfred director called him to say there had actually been a "software error" and it was turning down the claim.

Mr Green stated he seemed like he had been kicked and had his "withins ripped out" after receiving the call.

After he challenged the decision, the business at one phase used him ₤ 60,000 as a token of "goodwill" on the grounds he agreed not to talk about it ever again, however he refused.

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In April 2019 he took his case to the High Court intending to sue Betfred and its parent company, Gibraltar-based Petfre, for ₤ 2m, to consist of the interest he would have made from the win.

Betfred had argued that the software glitch, which stopped the video game from resetting properly while Mr Green was playing, was covered under the terms of the game.

However, Mrs Justice Foster ruled that the wording of the stipulations relied upon was "inadequate", and "not transparent or reasonable and Betfred were not entitled to trust them".

A Betfred representative stated: "Mr Green won the prize 3 times whilst playing a game provided by among our third-party suppliers.

"The provider reported a software application issue to us and advised that we should keep payment.

"However, we will follow the court's choice and not appeal. We would like to apologise to Mr Green for the delay in getting his money."

Mr Green's legal representative Peter Coyle stated he was "thrilled" for his client, adding that the judgement would "promise to others who may be thinking that the huge, abundant guys constantly win".

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Washingborough

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