Fred Done, a British billionaire businessman, who owns the bookmaking chain called Betfred, with over 1,350 betting shops scattered all around the United Kingdom, has been taken to court over his refusal to release £1.7 million to Andrew Green.
THE TRUTH ABOUT EVERYTHING
Andrew Green is a 54-year-old gambler from Washingborough, Lincolnshire. In 2018 he played Betfred online blackjack game of Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven and won a total winning of £1.7million. After confirming his winnings, he extended his overdraft. He spent thousands celebrating at the pub, only to be contacted days later by the company head office. There was a system malfunction at the time he played, and that he did not win any jackpot worth £1.7 million.
ANDREW GREEN’S REACTION
What will you do if you were told that your jackpot win, which you have already budgeted for something big, did not count? Oh yes! You will get enraged, and that was exactly how Mr. Andrew felt.
Mr. Andrew Green has refused the company’s claim saying everything was a glitch in the system and had insisted since 2018 that the company must pay his money. He said that it felt like a robbery from the operator. He also said that even if there was a glitch, he did nothing wrong. He only played a game and pushed a button.
The company’s refusal to act in favor of Andrew Green has turned everything at the mercy of the high court decision as Andrew Green sued Betfred.
BETFRED REACTION TO THE SUING
Amazingly, Betfred willingly agreed to the court order but insists that everything should be resolved in a full trial. Andrew Green said he only needs the restoration of justice to the system and hopes that the whole trial will be avoided. Betfred seems ever ready for the full trial, as their claim for not paying his winnings rests on the terms and conditions of the company which Andrew Green had earlier agreed with before he started playing.
WHAT ARE BOTH PARTIES LAWYERS SAYING?
Andrew Green’s lawyer has been very resourceful in dealing with the claim of Betfred. Betfred’s lawyer, Richard Osborne, made clear that winnings can be made invalid in the case of machine breakdown. His technical explanation to the court was that the Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven Blackjack machine with which Andrew Green played experienced a malfunction. Thus, it kept bringing out more special cards in the dealings without having them removed, which led to a massive increase in his chances of winning.
Contrary to Betfred lawyer’s claim, the High Court was told that the reason Andrew Green’s winnings was only £1.7 million was that he decided to stop playing. If not so, the money won would be £50 million or thereabout, or even as large as £500 million, as there were already three times winnings which were as big as 7,000 times the stakes, and he would have more wins as many times as he wanted with the same 7,000 to 1 ratio.
Andrew Green’s lawyer, Mr. James Couser, also argued that all relevant terms and conditions from the company must comply with the Consumer Rights Act, and as such, the pays and plays clause ought to have been displayed. Instead, it was tucked away on a long, repetitive, and tedious electronic document; therefore, the liability clause should be disregarded.
Andrew Green also told reporters outside the court that he was fighting for everybody, and he hopes to win so that no one will have to face all he had to go through since January 2018.
He further said that he sincerely gambled and won, and for Betfred to refuse him his jackpot after his victory is unfair.
