Betfair is set to face a significant High Court case this week over allegations that it failed to adequately protect a customer who later died in 2021.
A lawsuit was filed against the operator by the family of Luke Ashton, including his widow Annie Ashton. This lawsuit was filed against the operator of the gambling company that is owned by Flutter Entertainment , and is scheduled to commence on June 4, and is anticipated to last approximately 3 weeks.
The case is focused on whether the online gambling operator has a duty of care for its customers who show indications of experiencing harm because of their gambling.
The coroner’s inquest in 2023 found that Luke Ashton had a gambling addiction, and the coroner determined that he was gambling consistently, and that his gambling ultimately increased prior to his death. Nevertheless, Betfair classified Luke Ashton as a low-risk customer.
The coroner also found that there were no meaningful communications between Betfair and Luke Ashton between the years of 2019-2021, and posed questions as to whether Betfair had sufficient measures in place to protect the players.
The lawsuit was filed in connection with the UK Gambling Commission’s determination not to take further enforcement action against Betfair based on the findings of the coroner. Annie Ashton is also attempting to challenge the UK Gambling Commission’s recent decision through a Judicial Review.
The decision on how to handle the lawsuit could affect the Tobacco industry, and highlight the responsibility of a gambling operator to provide support when a customer demonstrates that they are showing signs of an addiction.