Betfred refuses to pay out £1.7mlllion to punter who blew thousands celebrating
A gambler is suing a betting company that is refusing to pay out a £1.7 million jackpot over claims the win was caused by a computer glitch.
Andrew Green, 52, spent thousands celebrating after becoming a millionaire playing a blackjack game on Betfred’s website.
But five days later the company told him he would not be receiving the money because there had been a “software malfunction”.
The dad-of-two turned down a £60,000 settlement, which required a nondisclosure agreement, and is now fighting his case in the High Court.
He said: “They [Betfred] are quick to take people’s money but when it comes to paying out they offered money as a gagging agreement.
“They have buried their head in the sand. How many are there out there who have signed similar agreements?
“I’ve been bullied. I’m just a fish in a big sea and they are a great big shark but I’m not going to be forced away just because they are worth billions and I’m not.
“Even if there was a glitch I did nothing wrong. I played that game and pressed a button.”
Andrew, of Washingborough, Lincolnshire, started playing Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven with a £100 stake in January.
He lost almost all of his money to the online game but worked his way up from £3 to £600,000.
One final play then landed him the £1.7 million jackpot.
Andrew spent £2500 celebrating his new-found fortune.
But Betfred later voided the win saying there was a glitch in the “new game release”.
Peter Coyle, Andrew’s solicitor, claims the company has refused repeated requests to provide evidence of the computer problem.
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A preliminary High Court hearing was told this week that the company did not have the game data and could not force the game developer to hand it over.
Andrew added: “Because I won and for four days they congratulated me for being a millionaire, they should honour that bet.
“Over the last ten years how do I know all the money I lost wasn’t from glitches in the game. And they’ve taken my money? ”
A spokesman for Betfred said: “Betfred loves to pay out all our jackpot winners, both big and small.
“Unfortunately, and as Mr Green is aware, a new game release suffered a software malfunction in January this year. No legitimate jackpot win occurred.
“Given that Mr Green is currently exploring his legal options, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”
