Betfred Refuses to Pay Lincolnshire Man £1.7 Million Jackpot

Andrew Green, a 52-year old resident of North Hykeham in Lincolnshire, said he won £1.7 million playing a slots game on a Betfred app, but the Betfred has refused to pay out his life-changing jackpot amount. Green says Betfred refused to offer any proof of a glitch in denying payment.

Mr. Green deposited £100 in Betfred’s mobile casino. He started playing over a 6-hour period, eventually losing down to £3. That’s when Green’s luck began to turn. He built his bankroll with bonuses to £600,000, then won a £1,722,923.54 jackpot.

Andrew Green contacted Betfred about the jackpot, then went out to a local pub to celebrate and ran up a bar bill of £2,500.

Betfred Offered £60k and NDA

Five days later, Betfred returned his call and said they had found evidence of a “glitch”. They would not pay £1.7 million in winnings, but agreed to cover his pub debts and add in another £60,000 for good measure.

The only catch was he would have to sign a non-disclosure agreement to get the £60,000. The NDA included an agreement not to sue Betfred for more money.

Andrew Green told the British press, “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?”

Peter Coyle Filed Suit

Andrew Green refused the deal, because Betfred refused to show any proof that a glitch had happened. Green knew that his jackpot fell within the 7,777-1 odds on offer, so he contacted a solicitor to help him with his problem.

That solicitor, Peter Coyle, said that Betfred refused on several occasions to provide him with technical proof of the glitch they claimed. When Coyle filed with the High Court, Betfred told the court that it could not provide data to support its claim and it could not force the game developer to turn over details.

In essence, Betfred asked Andrew Green, Peter Coyle, and the UK’s High Court to trust its word that a glitch had happened. The court case is still pending.

Betfred Statement on Court Case

Betfred released a statement on the case. The statement read: “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 and no legitimate jackpot win occurred. Given that Mr Green is currently exploring his legal options, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”

Betfred, which ran betting shops at most UK racetracks for the past several decades, announced in the past two years a series of pullouts from the pitch in order to focus more on its less traditional online gambling businesses. Fred Done, the namesake of the company, justified his actions based on company profits because Betfred no longer would have a virtual monopoly in the betting pools industry.

Andrew Green: Betfred is a “Great Big Shark”

Andrew Green has a different take on the situation. He said that Betfred takes people’s money when the bets go their way, but use legal tactics and intimidation to refuse payment when bettors win. Green said, “I’ve been bullied. It’s a multi-billion company.”

“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.”

He said the company originally congratulated him, but at some point a decision was made not to honor the tacit understandings gamblers and casinos have. Green said, “Because I won and for four days they congratulated me for being a millionaire, they should honor that bet. Over the last 10 years, how do I know all the money I lost wasn’t from glitches in the game and they’ve taken my money?