A High Court judge has ruled that a gardener is entitled to her full £1 million ($1,291,989) jackpot after Paddy Power claimed the win was a computer error.
Corrine Durber, from Gloucestershire, won the “Monster Jackpot” while playing the Wild Hatter game in October 2020. Her iPad displayed a prize of £1,097,132.71 ($1,416,931), but the gambling company only paid her £20,265 ($26,164), claiming a programming error had incorrectly shown the larger sum, according to BBC.
Durber sued PPB Entertainment Limited, which trades as Paddy Power and Betfair, for breach of contract, demanding the amount that was shown on her screen.
On Wednesday, Justice Ritchie ruled in her favor, granting her the full payout without a trial. “When a trader puts all the risk on a consumer for its own recklessness, negligence, errors, inadequate digital services and inadequate testing, that appears onerous to me,” he said.
Durber said the money would be “life-changing” for her family. “Obviously it will look after the children, from that we’ll pay their mortgages and we’re going to enjoy our retirement,” she told ITV News.
Paddy Power argued that the game’s random number generator had awarded her only the smaller “Daily Jackpot,” and a display error had falsely shown a larger win.
However, the judge emphasized that “what you see is what you get” should apply, just as in a physical casino. “Objectively, customers would want and expect that what was to be shown to them on screen to be accurate and correct,” he said.
In his 62-page ruling, the judge stated that customers reasonably expect the information displayed on screen to be accurate and correct. He compared it to a physical casino, explaining that players would expect to be paid if they bet on number 13 and the ball lands on number 13.
The court found that a human error in software mapping had caused a discrepancy between the random number generator’s actual result and what was displayed on screen, affecting 14 plays over 48 days.
Meanwhile, Durber said she was “relieved and happy” but questioned why Paddy Power had not paid her immediately instead of forcing her into legal action.
“We always strive to provide the best customer experience possible and pride ourselves on fairness,” a spokesperson for Paddy Power responded. “We deeply regret this unfortunate case and are reviewing the judgment.”
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2025/03/07/97389-uk-gardener-wins-13-million-jackpot-dispute-against-paddy-power
