Betfair faces duty of care challenge in UK High Court

The widow of a UK gambling addict who took his own life is pursuing a legal claim against Betfair in a case that could have significant implications for the gambling industry’s responsibilities towards customers experiencing gambling harm.

The case centres on Luke Ashton, a 40-year-old from Leicester who died in April 2021 after developing a gambling disorder and accumulating significant debts. His family alleges that Betfair failed to intervene despite signs of escalating gambling-related harm and continued to send promotional offers, including free bets, as his gambling activity intensified.

Lawyers representing the Ashton family argue that the operator breached a duty of care by not taking sufficient action to protect a customer showing indicators of problem gambling.

If successful, the claim could establish a legal precedent that betting companies owe a duty of care to customers who display signs of gambling addiction.

Betfair, which is owned by Flutter Entertainment, has refuted the claims while offering condolences to the family.

In court filings, the operator argues that it did not owe Mr Ashton a duty of care and maintains that he never informed the company that he had a gambling disorder.

The company also contends that his losses were influenced by personal circumstances and that he would likely have gambled elsewhere had Betfair restricted his activity.

Court documents show that Ashton used temporary self-exclusion tools on multiple occasions before returning to gambling.

During a period of increased betting activity in early 2021, he reportedly placed more than 1,000 bets in a single month and recorded substantial losses.

The Ashton family is seeking damages of more than £846,000 ($1.1m) covering both gambling losses and the financial support they argue would have been provided had Ashton remained alive.

Observers have noted that previous attempts to hold operators liable for customer losses have generally been unsuccessful; the outcome of this case is therefore likely to be closely watched across the UK gambling sector.