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

7 April 2021

A Betfred punter rejected a ₤ 1.7 m prize over a supposed software problem has actually won a legal battle to declare the profits.

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

The bookie refused to pay, declaring the mistake indicated the game was not running correctly.

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

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

'Champagne prepared'

In a statement, he stated the prolonged row over the payout had made him wish he 'd never won.

"Together with my household, I have been through some extremely low times and end up being extremely down," he said.

"My physical health has actually also suffered terribly, and I often wished I 'd never won this promotion code cash, since it was just making my life a misery.

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

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

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

Speaking in 2018, he stated he had gone "definitely insane" after scooping the jackpot on the Frankie Dettori Magic Seven Blackjack video game.

Following the win, he extended his overdraft and spent more than ₤ 2,500 commemorating with friends and family.

In her judgment, Mrs Justice Foster stated when he later called Betfred they "did not look for at this moment to suggest aside from that he was a big winner".

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

Mr Green said he felt like he had been kicked and had his "insides ripped out" after receiving the call.

After he challenged the choice, the business at one stage used him ₤ 60,000 as a token of "goodwill" on the premises he concurred not to speak about it ever again, but he refused.

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

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

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

A Betfred representative stated: "Mr Green won the prize three times whilst playing a game supplied by one of our third-party suppliers.

"The supplier reported a software problem to us and advised that we need to keep payment.

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

Mr Green's lawyer Peter Coyle stated he was "delighted" for his customer, including that the judgement would "provide hope to others who may be believing that the huge, rich guys always win".

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Washingborough

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