A gambler who won €332,000 on a horse race, only to see most of it taken back as a “mistake” two days later, is suing the bookie.
James Longley, 44, says he spent £3,000 celebrating after his £13,000 each-way 16-1 bet Redemptive won at Wolverhampton in September 2019, but claims Paddy Power is “welshing on the bet”.
He initially asked to stake £1,300 each way – £2,600 in total – but claims Paddy Power offered a bet 10 times bigger and he agreed.
Two days after his win, the bookie clawed back the winnings, claiming he never intended to place such a large bet, reports The Mirror.
It said the bet was a “mistake” and so it was entitled to adjust it and instead paid out £28,600, in line with the lower stake.
Mr Longley, of Market Harborough, Leics, is suing Paddy Power for his full winnings at the High Court in London. Mrs Justice Ellenbogen heard he had lost £19,000 that day when he called Paddy Power to put £2,600 on Redemptive.
The Malta-based operator had to seek authority for the large stake but mistakenly relayed it to an authorising trader as £13,000 each way – a total stake of £26,000. The bet was approved and his account was later credited with the full £286,000 winnings.
But his barrister, Mark James, claims Dublin-based trader Aidan McCarthy, who approved the bet, later apologised for his “massive error” and clawed back the cash to “cover his back”.
Mr Longley, who made millions when he sold a utility bills company, told the court: “I was very confident Redemptive would at least place, so struck the bet.”
Paddy Power’s lawyers said there had been a “mistake” in relaying his actual intention – to place a bet of £2,600 – and said the bookie “reserves the right to correct any obvious errors”. The judge reserved her judgment until a later date.
