Paddy Power Ordered to Pay Jackpot

Two years ago, we brought you a tragic story of justice denied. Back in 2022, Professor Seth Barrett Tillman placed two bets that the Democrats would win the Senate. They did, but Paddy Power, one of Ireland’s leading bookmakers, refused to pay out, based on the technicality that two of the newly-elected Senators were technically independents who caucus with the Democrats. Professor Tillman sought to arbitrate the dispute, but his claim was denied, as was his appeal.

CORRECTION: Professor Tillman received partial relief through mediation/arbitration. The bet was voided, and his wager was returned. He was not DENIED all relief.

What goes around comes around. As Jamie Grierson reports in The Guardian, Corrinne Durber, a gardener from Gloucestershire, was playing a game called Wild Hatter in 2020 when her iPad screen indicated that she had won the “monster jackpot”, which entitled her to £1,097,132.71. However, Paddy Power contended that the game’s display had malfunctioned due to a programming error. She had not won the monster jackpot but only the daily jackpot, entitling her to £20,000. She sued, and in a 62-page opinion, Mr. Justice Ritchie of the High Court ruled in her favor.

Sixty-two pages on this subject is rather a lot to read, but it seems to come down to the fact that England  has consumer protection legislation with some bite. Paddy Power tried to rely on some clauses that immunized it from its own mistakes, but the court found the clauses unfair and unreasonable.

If only Professor Tillman could have found his way to a court, he might have stood a chance!