British Blackjack Player Beats BetFred in Court

A recent High Court Win by a British Blackjack player has reaffirmed the team’s position at Win A Million Pounds regarding Playtech Jackpots. It is a fascinating story that provides insight into one of the biggest gambling software providers’ actions regarding player wins.

British Blackjack Player Beats BetFred in Court

1.7 Million Pound Blackjack Win Denied

A Betfred Casino punter from Lincolnshire won a £1.7 Million jackpot in January 2018, playing the Frankie Dettori Magic Seven Blackjack game on his mobile phone. Now that would instantly cause headlines across the United Kingdom as a massive Mobile Blackjack win. However, what followed is pure pantomime and one of the reasons for us not featuring Playtech Jackpot games prominently.

Jackpot Win is Denied

Now, this is where it gets interesting. The punter rightly celebrated with his friends and family, even going to the extent of increasing his overdraft to aid the celebrations. I mean, who wouldn’t?

Betfred, at this stage, had not indicated any issues with the win. However, the problems started a few days later when a Betfred Director called the punter advising that the win would not get paid. The reason given for this is due to a “software glitch”.

Why would a game be available to players if there was a software glitch? There are many reasons why this could be the case, and it is one reason for new casino games being so popular. Often there might be a glitch not picked up by a QA team.

Irrespective of the above, BetFred should have been able to note this, and indeed, Playtech, who create the game, should have been able to pick this up much earlier. It is undoubtedly part of their remit to ensure that the UK public’s games are glitch-free.

A 3-Year Jackpot Battle

To his credit, the casino player did not take this matter lying down when he was denied the win and took Betfred to court regarding the matter. He was offered a desultory amount to “forget about the matter” in the interim, but he persisted.

The High Court – Terms & Conditions & Final Vindication

The High Court reviewed the matter and decided to favour the casino player to the tune of £2 Million. This amount included interest that would have accrued from the original £1.7 Million wins.

The Judge stated that the wording of clauses that Betfred relied upon was not adequate or transparent, or fair enough to prevent a payout. Now, this is important as many Casinos will have wording in their terms and conditions regarding software glitches.

The fact of the matter is that no one, including the operator, can say that this was a software glitch and that after a period of days is dubious. It must get stated clearly that BetFred is not the creator and maintainer of the blackjack game and would rely on the software provider. In this case, it is Playtech.

The Consequences of Court Case & Jackpot Win

Can you imagine winning a jackpot and then being denied it? That would crush the spirit of most. To then go through a 3-year court battle to finally get what is yours is highly commendable. The High Court win does open Pandoras Box, though for Online Gambling Venues.

It means they can no longer rely on the ” software glitch” and “Terms & Conditions” clauses concerning wins. They must provide demonstrable proof that this is the case and not simply their say so. I mean, it’s not as if rich companies avoid paying.

BetFred Make Payment

BetFred, to its credit, has apologised to the player. They have also agreed to comply with the Court ruling and make the payment immediately. In our opinion, this means that BetFred has arranged with the software supplier. It is, after all, the fault of Playtech that this jackpot paid out numerous times.

It would appear that BetFred wants this matter resolved, and the fastest and most convenient way to do this is to make sure that the Casino player gets his money, and we are confident that BetFred will get their money from Playtech. We hope so in any event.

More Million Pound Jackpot Win Reading

Scroll to Top