LEICESTER — The widow of Luke Ashton filed a legal claim against Betfair, alleging the company failed to intervene as his gambling losses increased. The case is proceeding through the UK high court.
Ashton's family alleges that Betfair breached a duty of care to Ashton, who died in April 2021 at the age of 40. The family is seeking £846,478 in damages from Betfair. These damages include funds Betfair made from Ashton and projected family earnings. The law firm Leigh Day is representing the Ashton family.
Betfair, which is part of the international gambling firm Flutter, submitted a high court defense stating it did not owe Ashton a duty of care. The company stated that Ashton did not inform them of his gambling disorder. Betfair also stated that Ashton's financial losses resulted from his own contributory negligence and external mental health factors. A spokesperson for Flutter said, "We reiterate our sincere condolences to Mrs Ashton and her family over this tragic case. Unfortunately, we are unable to comment further at this time because of the legal proceedings."
Ashton enrolled in a six-month self-exclusion period from betting in 2017. Ashton registered for temporary betting exclusions with Betfair three times. He also opted out of receiving promotional material from Betfair Exchange. Ashton lost £21,777 on Betfair over a three-year period. In March 2021, while furloughed during the pandemic, he placed more than 1,000 bets on Betfair and incurred a net loss of £5,500.
Between 2018 and 2021, Ashton participated in promotional free bet or cashback offers on other parts of Betfair. The promotional opt-out did not apply to other sections of the Betfair website and application. Despite opting out of promotions from Betfair Exchange, the legal claim states the volume of promotional free bets Ashton received increased in the month before his death.
In 2023, a coroner noted during an inquest that more effort to intervene or interact regarding Ashton should have been made. The inquest also reviewed notes from Ashton that referenced gambling and described his personal struggles. Previous legal claims seeking to hold betting firms liable for failing to prevent customer gambling losses were unsuccessful.