The widow of a British man who took his own life after struggling with gambling addiction has told the High Court that she was shocked to discover her late husband received a promotional email from Betfair after his death. The email allegedly encouraged the deceased to log into his account and claim rewards.
“This Made Me Very Angry”
The case regards Luke Ashton from Leicester, who was 40 years old at the time of his tragic suicide on April 22, 2021, which, a coroner concluded, also had a gambling disorder as a contributing factor.
His widow has decided to bring legal action against TSE Malta, the company responsible for operating Betfair in the United Kingdom.
Annie Ashton argues that the betting operator failed to adequately protect her husband despite signs of harmful gambling behavior.
During the ongoing High Court proceedings, Annie Ashton explained that she proceeded to go over her husband’s financial records, as well as gambling accounts and received emails after his passing. Among the messages she found was an email from Betfair sent after her spouse had died.
“I also had a look at Luke’s email account and saw he had received an email from Betfair after his death prompting Luke to log into account in order to access his rewards,” she said in a witness statement.
The message left a lasting impression on her.
“This made me very angry and I feel strongly that these kind of communications from gambling operators would have contributed to Luke being unable to escape his gambling problems,” she told the court.
Betfair Contests the Case
Annie Ashton also stated that the “vast majority” of her husband’s gambling activity during the final years of his life was conducted through Betfair. She said that when she checked his mobile phone after his death, the only gambling-related application installed was Betfair’s.
Betfair denies the claim and is contesting the case, with lawyers representing the company arguing that it did not owe Luke Ashton a legal duty of care and maintain that its responsible gambling measures were properly applied.
The company also contends that Ashton gambled with other operators and faced additional pressures unrelated to gambling.
During cross-examination, Betfair’s legal team pointed to concerns Ashton had reportedly expressed about work, finances, and personal well-being in the period leading up to his death.
The trial is expected to continue until June 19 and is being closely watched as it could have wider implications for the way gambling companies monitor and support customers showing signs of addiction.
At the end of April, we reported on the case of 44-year-old Ellen Mulvey from Macclesfield, Cheshire, who also made the tragic decision to take her own life after she developed a severe compulsive disorder, spiraling into debt and despair.