A gardener who thought she’d won over £1m on Paddy Power, only to be told by the gambling giant that it was a computer error, has finally received her prize following a High Court ruling.
Playing on the Wild Hatter game in October, Corrine Durber from Gloucestershire thought she’d won the “Monster Jackpot” as her iPad screen displayed, meaning she’d be awarded the whopping sum of £1,097,132.71.
Programming Error Blamed For Screen Display
However, Mrs Durber only received £20,265 from Paddy Power who claimed she’d won the smaller “Daily Jackpot” due to a programming error with the game’s display.
PPB Entertainment Limited, which trades as Paddy Power and Betfair, said that the amount Mrs Durber won had been determined by a Random Number Generator (RNG) but an error affecting the animations meant she was shown the wrong result.
Human error in mapping the software was found to be the cause for the display issues, and this had affected 14 plays in over 48 days.
Mrs Durber decided to sue PPB for breach of contract and the rest of her winnings, due to the message displayed on her screen.
Case Won Without Trial
In a judgement on March 5th, Mr Justice Ritchie granted summary judgement in Mrs Durber’s favour, meaning she won her case without a trial.
Mrs Durber claimed the money would be life changing for her family and was “relieved and happy” that the judge confirmed she had won the £1m jackpot on the Paddy Power website “fairly and squarely.”
Judge States Transparency Is Key To Fair Gambling
Speaking after the judgment, Mr Justice said: “Objectively, customers would want and expect that what was to be shown to them on screen to be accurate and correct.
“The same expectation probably applies when customers go into a physical casino and play roulette.
“They expect the house to pay out on the roulette wheel if they bet on number 13 and the ball lands on number 13.”
Are Online Casino Game Errors Common?
Online casino game errors are relatively uncommon, as reputable gambling platforms use sophisticated software and undergo rigorous testing to ensure fairness and functionality.
Leading casinos employ RNGs and third-party audits to minimise glitches and maintain integrity. However, occasional malfunctions can occur due to software bugs, server issues, connectivity problems and in this instance, human error.
A “Malfunction Voids All Pays And Plays” disclaimer is typically displayed on slot machines, both in physical venues and online platforms. This clause is a form of protection for the casino as Red Casino have explained.
When these issues arise, most reputable casinos have policies in place to resolve disputes and compensate affected players fairly.
While rare, staying informed about a casino’s reputation and support policies can help players navigate such situations effectively.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
