Blackjack player, 54, who won three-year legal battle with Betfred after they refused to pay £1.7m winnings lands £600,000 more than his jackpot after judge rules he should get interest
- EXCLUSIVE: Andrew Green, 54, paid £600,000 more than his £1.7million bet win
- He scooped the jackpot playing Blackjack on Betfred but payout was stopped
- The betting shop claimed a ‘glitch’ was in the software but judge ruled against it
- Judge has now ruled on further payout to him of interest owed and costs
A single father who won a court battle against bookies Betfred has landed £600,000 more than his £1.7million jackpot – after a judge ruled he should also get interest.
Andrew Green, 54, took the bookmakers to the High Court after they refused in January 2018 to deliver his winnings, claiming there had been a ‘software glitch’.
But Mrs Justice Foster ruled in his favour and threw out Betfred’s bid to stop the amount being paid in April.
She has now heard representations from both parties and ruled he should get a further £600,000 in interest and costs – taking his win to an incredible £2.3million total.
Usually courts calculate interest on sums on the basis of a rate of around 8 per cent, although this can vary.
He had been denied the money for some three-and-a-half years, which would equate to around £450,000 interest on that area of rate.
Mr Green, who lives in Lincoln, told MailOnline: ‘They announced I could have my money, but it did take another two weeks to decide what the interest on that should be.
‘In the end I got £2.3million, so it did cost them a lot to battle it. If they had paid me in the first place they would have saved that £600,000 in interest and costs.
Andrew Green outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London after he won his High Court fight
Mr Green won the £1.7million playing Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven game back in 2018
The screengrab which showed that Mr Queen had won the huge amount on the betting app
‘So I am a millionaire now. It has taken some getting used to and I have spent a little bit, giving some gifts to family and I have bought myself a new car.
‘It was £32,000 and it was hard because to me that is a lot of money. I’ve been a single parent since 2011 and it has often been a struggle with finances.
‘Being careful with money is a habit that has been hard to get out of.
‘I still find myself going down the reduced aisle in the supermarket even now.’
Mr Green’s three-and-a-half year legal ordeal was brought to a close this year after the High Court decided in his favour.
The lucky winner, who runs a metal coating business with his brother, admitted tough nights during the pandemic, when he shielded over a heart condition, when all he could think about was the case.
But he declared he would do it all over again if he had to, because he is an ‘honest guy’ who ‘would not be bullied.
Because he did not get the money straight away after the court victory he had to celebrate his triumph with just a £10 pizza and bottle of Coke.
Down to earth millionaire Andrew Green outside Buckingham Palace this morning after win
Andrew Green’s fight to secure his £1.7million jackpot after Betfred claimed he won the sum due to ‘glitch’
Andrew Green battled Betfred to reclaim his £1.7million winnings for three years after landing the jackpot while betting online in 2018.
The single parent was ‘ecstatic’ when he triggered a massive sum on the Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven Blackjack on the Betfred online casino.
Appearing on The One Show on the BBC in late 2018, Mr Green said he started with £100 and almost lost it all before hitting a bonus that saw his balance soar to £10,600.
He then continued to play the online casino game and increased his winnings to £38,000, then £76,000 before hitting £600,000.
Then the screen of his mobile displayed a flashing banner stating he had won the game’s jackpot of £1,722,500.24.
He then ran up a £2,500 bill celebrating his life-changing win with friends and family after Betfred customer support team confirmed he had won the £1.7million jackpot.
But Mr Green was then dealt a major blow when four days after his win a representative for Betfred contacted him and stated there had been a software ‘glitch’ in the game.
Betfred explained that this meant they would not honour the payout.
Mr Green claimed he was offered £2,500 to reimburse the costs of his celebrations, plus an additional £60,000 ‘goodwill gesture’ on the grounds he agreed not to talk about it.
The single parent refused Betfred’s offer and took legal action to force Betfred to pay him the full amount.
Mr Green said in 2018 he had suffered four heart attacks, received heart treatment 11 times and thought the winnings would make his life ‘better’.
The single parent also revealed that he wanted to give some of the £1.7million to his sister who later passed away, so she could take her girls on holiday.
Mr Green’s case is not an isolated one, as the Independent Betting Adjudication Service revealed that they dealt with more than 7,800 disputes in 2017.
Now he has finally received it he is going to take everyone who helped him out for drinks and a meal in London this month.
Mr Green won the huge sum by accumulating chips while playing Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven game on his phone in January 2018.
He was congratulated by a member of staff from Betfred on his winnings, the betting shop said just five days later it would not pay out the sum, claiming he only won because of an alleged software glitch.
Betfred claimed a malfunction had prevented the game from resetting properly, meaning Mr Green, a single parent from Washingborough, Lincolnshire, would have seen his money grow exponentially had he continued playing.
Instead, the bookmaker allegedly offered Mr Green a £60,000 ‘goodwill gesture’ on condition that he remained quiet – a deal the father-of-three turned down before launching a three-year legal fight to reclaim his winnings.
He admitted if the bookie had ever proved the fault he would have considered taking the money.
He added: ‘There was a point when Betfred offered me a £60,000 settlement and had they showed me proof of a glitch, I would have been very tempted. But they didn’t.
‘I was willing to take that as long as they showed me proof.’
Following the 2018 win, he extended his overdraft and spent more than £2,500 celebrating with family and friends.
But his dreams were crushed five days later when Betfred claimed there had been a ‘software malfunction’ which led to the jackpot so his winning were void.
Mr Green said in 2018 that he had suffered four heart attacks, received heart treatment 11 times and thought the winnings would make his life ‘a lot better’.
When it became clear the bookies would not honour the win he began legal action against them.
At a hearing in October, his lawyers asked Mrs Justice Foster to either rule in his favour or strike out Betfred’s defence to his claim.
Lawyers for Betfred argued the dispute should be resolved at a full trial.
But Mrs Justice Foster ruled this year in Mr Green’s favour, finding that one of the terms and conditions set out by Betfred in the game, which was relied on by the firm in its defence to the claim, was ‘just not apt to cover the circumstances of this case at all’.
She said: ‘It is not dealing with the failure to pay out winnings at all. Nor is it dealing with a fault or glitch or programming mistake that is undetectable to either party.’
The judge added: ‘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 said at the time: ‘Mr Green won the jackpot three times whilst playing a game provided by one of our third party suppliers.
‘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.’
Betfred declined to comment further today when contacted by MailOnline.
Source: Read Full Article
