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Wealthy gambler loses £250,000 High Court fight with bookmaker

A wealthy gambler has lost a High Court fight over around £250,000 with bookmaker Paddy Power.

Businessman James Longley won more than £280,000 after betting on a horse, a judge in London heard.

But Paddy Power said there had been an error and subsequently paid out about £28,000.

Mr Longley sued for the difference between what he initially won and what he eventually received – around £250,000.

Mrs Justice Ellenbogen has dismissed his claim after considering legal arguments at a High Court hearing.

The judge has outlined details of the case in a written ruling published online on Friday.

She heard that on Saturday September 21 2019, Mr Longley had telephoned Paddy Power's betting line, seeking to place an "each way bet of £1,300" on a horse named Redemptive, at 16/1, in the 19:20 race at Wolverhampton.

An operator had cleared the bet with a trader then said to Mr Longley, "so that's going to be twenty-six thousand".

Mr Longley had replied, "That's it, yeah."

An each way bet of £13,000 had been placed, Redemptive won, and £286,000 was credited to Mr Longley's account.

Paddy Power had subsequently amended the bet to £1,300 each way, removed the £286,000 from Mr Longley's account and replaced it with £28,600.

Mr Longley argued that, notwithstanding his original intention, the agreed bet which he placed was for £13,000 each way.

He said, by informing him that £26,000 was being taken from his account, the operator had made a "counter-offer" he had accepted.

Lawyers representing Paddy Power argued that "there was no such contract". They argued that, either there had been a contract for a bet of £1,300 each way, because of Paddy Power's "unilateral mistake", or that there had been no contract, because of "the parties' mutual mistake".

Mrs Justice Ellenbogen, who described Mr Longley as wealthy, ruled in Paddy Power's favour.

She said in a "proper construction of the words exchanged" by Mr Longley and the operator there was "no contract between the parties for an each way bet of £13,000".


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