'So incredibly happy' - Betfred punter wins £1.7m after three-year legal battle

A punter has won a long-running legal battle with Betfred after the High Court ruled in his favour following the bookmaker's refusal to pay out a £1.7 million jackpot.

Andy Green, 54, from Lincolnshire, won the huge sum playing an online blackjack game on his phone in January 2018, but Betfred claimed a 'defect' meant he was not entitled to claim the winnings.

However, a High Court judge ruled on Wednesday in favour of Green, meaning he will now receive the full sum plus interest more than three years later.

In a statement released after the verdict, Green, who first took the case to the High Court in April 2019, said: "Along with my family, I have been through some very low times and become very down.

"My physical health has also suffered badly, and I sometimes wished I'd never won this money, because it was just making my life a misery.

"But today, I feel like the world has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel so incredibly happy and relieved – for me, my family and my legal team. The champagne can finally come off ice and be savoured."

'We will abide by the court's decision'

Lawyers for Betfred argued that Green, who had been playing Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven Blackjack, was not entitled to the winnings because the game contained a defect which made it more likely to pay out higher sums in winnings than intended, and that this was covered in the game's terms and conditions.

But judge Mrs Justice Foster ruled that the conditions were "inadequate" and did not cover the circumstances of the case.

She said: "I am of the clear view that these clauses in the terms and conditions are inadequate to exempt Betfred from the obligation to pay out on an ostensibly winning bet or series of bets."

Betfred apologised for the delay in Mr Green receiving his money and said they would not appeal against the ruling.

"The supplier reported a software problem to us and advised that we should withhold payment. However, we will abide by the court's decision and not appeal. We would like to apologise to Mr Green for the delay in receiving his money."

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