A glitch in one of William Hill’s online slot games has been blamed for causing a user to have a heart attack. John Riding, 76, suffered cardiac arrest days after learning the £285,000 ($376,000) he had won was no longer in his account.
The glitch occurred on the platform’s Jackpot Drop game last month. The operator paid out 35,072 online slot jackpots compared with just 518 over the equivalent period a week earlier. In some cases, such as Riding’s, users were credited with six-figure sums.
He had been celebrating the win at his local William Hill shop and informed his family of the news. William Hill, however, soon informed him that the money had been credited in error.
The company released a statement, noting, “During a routine review of platform activity, we identified an issue affecting the Jackpot Drop game, which temporarily resulted in incorrect sums being credited to players’ balances and withdrawals being processed incorrectly.”
Shattered Dreams and Stress Blamed For Health Problems
“I was absolutely devastated. It was like my dreams had been shattered into pieces,” Riding told the Mirror this week. “I never got formally told that it was an error, just that they’d made a ‘manual adjustment’. The £285,000 was no longer in my account but the message is – that I am £285,000 up this month.”
His family said he had been in good health, but became stressed as he attempted to access his account and withdraw the winnings.
“The shock of that has been unbearable,” said his son, Adam. “It’s not just about the money, it’s the way it’s been handled. It feels like a real injustice, and the stress of it has had a serious impact on his health.”
His daughter added, “My dad was saying, ‘I can’t deal with the stress of it.’ It was definitely affecting him. I blame the stress for the heart attack. We all do!“
A spokesperson for William Hill said, “We are also very sorry to hear about Mr Riding’s condition and wish him a very speedy recovery.”
Users Plan On Legal Action
The operator is facing the prospect of legal action over the error. Paul Kanolik from Ellis Jones solicitors said it had been contacted by around 50 users who are considering a group action.
The firm has urged other users who were affected by the glitch to get in touch. A statement on its website says, “At Ellis Jones, our lawyers specialise in handling gambling-related claims and complaints, regularly helping clients to recover losses caused by failures of betting operators.”
Last year, a user won a similar case against Paddy Power in the UK. The betting company had paid out Corrine Durber more than £1 million ($1.3 million), but attempted to void the winnings, citing a system error.
It took five years to get a judgment, but in May last year she was finally awarded the full amount. In the ruling, the judge stated, “When a trader puts all the risk on a consumer for its own recklessness, negligence, errors, inadequate digital services and inadequate testing, that appears onerous to me.”
Ellis Jones also cited the case of Andrew Green v Petfre, the parent company of Betfred. Green won £1.7 million ($2.25 million) due to a glitch. Like Durber, he was eventually awarded the full amount as a judge ruled Betfred’s terms were too vague to avoid paying the winnings.
With around 35,000 jackpots seemingly paid out in error at William Hill, the operator is hoping users are more understanding of the error.
“We have contacted relevant customers to clarify the issue and are in the process of retrieving the funds in line with our standard terms and conditions. We have been grateful for our customers’ understanding on this matter and apologise for the inconvenience caused,” the company stated.
William Hill is facing an uncertain future after parent company Evoke announced a strategic review that could lead to the breakup of the group, which also includes 888.
