Betfair Accused of Negligence in Gambler's Suicide

The High Court is hearing a case where Betfair is accused of failing to adequately protect a man who died by suicide after losing thousands of pounds through gambling. Luke Ashton, aged 40, took his own life in April 2021, having lost around £5,500 in the month prior to his death. His wife, Annie Ashton, is pursuing legal action against TSE Malta, trading as Betfair in the UK, seeking £846,478 in damages.

Mrs Ashton's legal team argues that Betfair owed a duty of care to her husband and that the company "perpetuated the risk of harm" through its "addictive gambling product." They contend that the company's failure to identify Mr Ashton's gambling as indicative of harm and its reliance on automated contact rather than human support demonstrated a lack of adequate protection against a recognised suicide risk.

Betfair, however, denies owing a duty of care to Mr Ashton. Their representatives stated that the company had "sophisticated safer gambling procedures" in place. They also suggested that Mr Ashton would have gambled elsewhere even if he had stopped using Betfair, as he frequented multiple betting sites. It was also noted that Mr Ashton had self-excluded from Betfair three times previously and never informed them of a gambling problem.

Evidence presented indicated that Mr Ashton's gambling escalated markedly in May and June 2020, following the Covid-19 lockdown. He began making larger bets in early 2021, depositing over £2,500 on a single day in March. During this period, he allegedly received bonuses and rewards from Betfair, which his wife's legal team claims encouraged further gambling. Betfair maintains that the amounts offered were low and unlikely to have materially affected his behaviour.