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


7 April 2021


A Betfred punter denied a ₤ 1.7 m prize over a supposed software application problem has won a legal battle to declare the jackpots.
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Andy Green, from Lincolnshire, scooped the reward in January 2018 while playing a blackjack game on his phone.


The bookie declined to pay, declaring the mistake meant the game was not operating correctly.


High Court judge Mrs Justice Foster ruled in Mr Green's favour and said the company had no grounds for withholding payment.


The judgement means Mr Green, from Washingborough, will lastly receive his payment, plus interest, after a three-year fight.


'Champagne prepared'


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


"Together with my family, I have actually been through some really low times and end up being really down," he stated.
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"My physical health has actually likewise suffered severely, and I sometimes wished I 'd never won this money, because it was simply making my life a suffering.


"But today, I feel like the world has been taken off my shoulders and I feel so extremely happy and relieved - for me, my family and my legal group.


"The champagne can lastly come off ice and be savoured."
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Betfred apologised for the hold-up in Mr Green getting his money and stated it would not appeal versus 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 and family.
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In her judgment, Mrs Justice Foster stated when he later contacted Betfred they "did not look for at this moment to suggest besides that he was a big winner".


But a few days later on, a Betfred director called him to state there had actually been a "software error" and it was rejecting the claim.


Mr Green said he seemed like he had been kicked and had his "withins 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 discuss it ever again, however he refused.


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In April 2019 he took his case to the High Court intending to take legal action against Betfred and its parent business, Gibraltar-based Petfre, for ₤ 2m, to include the interest he would have earned from the win.


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


However, Mrs Justice Foster ruled that the yohaig code phrasing of the stipulations relied upon was "insufficient", and "not transparent or reasonable and Betfred were not entitled to trust them".
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A Betfred spokesperson said: "Mr Green won the prize 3 times whilst playing a game supplied by one of our third-party suppliers.


"The provider reported a software application problem to us and encouraged that we must keep payment.


"However, we will abide by the court's choice and not appeal. We want 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, adding that the judgement would "promise to others who might be believing that the big, abundant guys constantly win".


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Washingborough
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Man's ₤ 1.7 m betting 'win' fight goes to High Court


16 October 2020


Legal action over voided ₤ 1.7 m game win


20 November 2018
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