Took the Bet and Paid the Prize!
There’s no better feeling in this world than winning but imagine being told you’ve won a substantial sum of money before being credited with the win, then only to be then told it was a mistake and monies being taken back. Seems unreal doesn’t it, but this is one situation a man from the UK has found himself in.
Back in September of 2019, James Longley, 44, a self-made millionaire from Leicestershire, decided to place a very large wager on a horse that took his fancy. ‘Redemptive’, a 16-1 shot at Wolverhampton caught his eye and he initial asked Paddy Power to take a bet of £1,300 each way. So confident that the horse would romp home, he decided to accept what the operator was offering him – £13K each way instead of his initial £1,300 each way bet.
When Things Go Wrong:
The day started off on the wrong foot for Longley, who had already lost £19K, but by the end of the day, ‘Redemptive’ would turn his luck around. Thing’s started to go wrong when he phoned the Paddy Power dial-a-bet operator to place a total bet of £2,600 on the horse. The Malta-based company had to seek authority for the wager but instead of relaying £1,300 each way, someone at the betting company, Mr McCarthy, had requested a far larger request of £13K each way. The bet was approved and when offered to Longley, he was that confident in his betting choice, he accepted.
Of course, ‘Redemptive’ won and initially the £286K in winning was credited to his account, but it wasn’t long before the bookie had clawed back the winnings! The company then decided it was a bet made in error and he was only credited with £28,600, the sum from a £1,300 each way bet, but if this was the case, what happened to the remaining £23,400 from placing the wager?
Not exactly thrilled with what had happened to him, Longley vowed to take the operator to the High Court in London, but what with everything going on in the world, it is only now being dealt with. Barrister, Mark James, claimed a Paddy Power trader who approved the bet had quickly regretted his decision after the horse won. But what do you reckon fleas? Do you think he would have returned the ‘mistaken’ bet to Longley if the horse hadn’t won? Nah, me neither.
Longley, a former RAF serviceman was fully aware £26K had been taken from his account for the wager and his online gaming account even highlighted his bet and at what stake. “This was obviously a significantly bigger bet than I had asked for, but I was very confident that Redemptive would at least place in the race and so struck the bet,” he said.
But Paddy Power barrister Kajetan Wandowicz argued that he only ever wanted to spend £2,600 and that “Paddy Power reserves the right to correct any obvious errors.” However, the Barrister acting for Longley made it clear there were no mistakes when Mr McCarthy had requested authorisation for a £26K bet. The winning loser is asking the judge to award him £257,400, the difference between the winnings on a £26,000 bet and the £2,600 stake Paddy Power adjusted it to, plus interest.
The judge will pass judgement on the case at a later date.
Source: “Man Sues Paddy Power for £286,000 ‘Winnings’ After it Refuses to Pay Up”. WalesOnline. July 4, 2021.
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