Betfred has entered a dispute in the UK High Court over refusing to pay out a £1.7m jackpot.
The UK operator Betfred has entered a UK high court dispute over refusing to pay out a £1.7m jackpot to a customer on the grounds its casino game suffered a “software malfunction.”
The court case
The lawsuit was filed by Andy Green, 53, from Lincolnshire who said he hit the jackpot in 2018 after wagering on Playtech’s Frankie Dettori Magic Seven Blackjack game.
Betfred reportedly credited Green’s account with the £1.7m jackpot but denied the customer his withdrawal, claiming that there had been a “software error.” Green’s legal representation said that Betfred has not shown any proof of error or malfunctions relating to the blackjack game.
After disputing the jackpot payout with Betfred management, Green said he was offered £30,000 as a gesture of goodwill that he did not speak about the incident. After rejecting this offer, Betfred raised its offer to £60,000 which Green also rejected.
Now after two years of legal proceedings, Green’s representatives have taken Betfred’s holding company, Petfre Gibraltar, to the UK High Court and are seeking a minimum of £2m in compensation.
Regarding Green’s jackpot win, the operator has maintained that it holds the legal right to deny payments based on its customer terms and conditions when it comes to casino games on Betfred’s site.
The operator’s terms and conditions
Betfred’s terms and conditions include a clause that states all pays and plays would be void in the event of a malfunction. This is something that Green would have agreed to when it came to signing up to the online casino.
However, Green’s lawyer, Peter Coyle, rejected Betfred’s argument and stated that the operator should have presented its customer with clear evidence for rejecting the jackpot payout.
Coyle also said that a full examination of Betfred’s 49-page casino terms and conditions confirms that the operator should have paid out the jackpot.
Coyle said: “If ‘all pays and plays’ were void, then Betfred would have refunded other customers, but the company had produced no evidence that had happened. It only wanted to withhold Mr Green’s enormous win.”
On top of this, Coyle pointed out that Playtech did not inform the UK Gambling Commission of a glitch in its game. Under the UK licensing conditions, developers are required to inform the regulatory body when there is a glitch or issue with a game.
