The UK gambling system is fair! Paddy Power offered a £1m jackpot winner just £20k due to an RNG error, but a judge rules for the player! (Image by x-files.8322428 on Vecteezy)
Good news if you are an online casino player in the United Kingdom because casinos can no longer say you didn’t win a large jackpot if the game says you did win.
This is a story of a player who was told the wrong win was displayed after playing on the Wild Hatter jackpot slot. Instead of being paid the on-screen £1 million win, she was awarded 2% of that amount due to what was proven as a ‘system error’.
Yet, a UK judge didn’t see it that way and said that despite the jackpot slot game making an error, the player should be paid. The judge’s final answer was ‘What You See Is What You Get. ’
Does this now mean that the legal precedence of ‘What You See Is What You Get’ is now set in stone? It could well be, as any British players playing at a United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) casino online facing the same issue in the future can now argue the latest Durber Vs PPB Entertainment Limited (Paddy Power operator) court case to a civil judge.
In mainstream media news reports, the plaintiff for the case has been named as one Corrine Durber, with the defendant being Paddy Power.
Source: We found the news report covering the civil court case between Durber and PPB Entertainment Limited via a Guardian news report – Paddy Power to pay £1m prize to winner offered £20,000.
How Did The Dispute Begin?
The dispute came after Ms Durber was playing online slots that paid her a ‘Monster Jackpot’ win. Her screen showed a win of £1,097,132.71, effectively making her an overnight millionaire.
However, Paddy Power put a damper on her celebrations as the UK online casino operator informed her that the win amount displayed was a system error. As you can imagine, anyone who plays at a casino online that receives this kind of news is always going to be skeptical.Ms Durber didn’t take the news lying down and decided to fight Paddy Power, who offered her a £20,265.14 payout. The company said that she had, in fact, won the Daily Jackpot.
PPB Entertainment Limited has said its Random Number Generator had chosen the Daily Jackpot, but the display message that popped up was for the Monster Jackpot. With technical proof in hand, Mr Justice Ritchie still ruled against the operator.
Ms Durber argued: “But why couldn’t Paddy Power pay up straight away instead of putting me through this legal torment? I will never bet with them ever again, and I advise others to be very careful, too.”
Why Did The Judge Rule Against The RNG Technical Data?
He compared the situation to a land-based casino scenario. If a Roulette player saw the ball land on the number he or she bet on, then payment would be expected. Reading in between the lines, he is saying that online casinos should be no different; hence, ‘What You See Is What You Get’.
He also used other scenarios, such as trading. He said that a trader cannot put all the risk on a consumer, and therefore, PPB Entertainment Limited cannot lay the blame on inadequate digital services.
Judge Justice Ritchie also said that the error had affected other plays over 48 days. On top of this, the RNG mapping to wins was a human error. The operator is at fault. Now I know one thing: I would not want to be the programmer who mapped the incorrect display to the wrong RNG result. Whether that person still has a job now is another question altogether!
Durber said: “As you can imagine, I’m so relieved and happy that the judge has confirmed I fairly and squarely won £1m from Paddy Power.”
Paddy Power’s Response
Flutter, which owns Paddy Power, put forward a spokesperson in regard to the loss. The statement defended the casino by saying that ens of thousands of people play at their site every week, and they often pay out legitimate jackpot wins. They referred to a player who won a £5.7m jackpot with them. The spokesperson also said that the casino prides itself on fairness.
Our Opinion: It was an honest mistake, and they thought the operator felt they were within their rights not to pay. However, now that a summary judgment has been made, the matter is closed. Also, we can see things from Ms Durber’s point of view as no one wants to be told they cannot receive their winnings.
The Key Takeaway
Probably one of the main takeaways from this news story is that we know the UK gambling system works. Players can get a fair deal, and if a casino rules against them, there are channels you can take to escalate your situation.
In other words, the big casino versus the little person doesn’t mean you can’t stand up for your rights. Every online gambling entertainment site in the UK operating under the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) frame must provide you with an Alternative Dispute Resolution partner approved and monitored by the UKGC.
Therefore, if you find yourself in a situation where you feel any gambling company in the UK is mistreating you, you have the power to move forward to mediation. Further on from this, as Ms. Durber did, she has proven you can take the matter further and take the legal route.
For more information about escalating casino disputes, you can read the Casinoplusbonus guide to ‘How to Submit a Complaint to Your Casino’s Licensing Authority’. For UK players, the relevant section is the UK Alternative Disputes Resolution Services sub-title.
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