Dettori game rides off with sick man’s £150k
Like many casual punters, a chap called Steve enjoyed an occasional flutter on the horses.
He was definitely not what you would call a problem gambler.
Then he was hospitalised and lost around £150,000 in one week while on medication.
Steve doesn’t want to be identified so I’ll limit describing the poor chap to saying that he’s a manual worker aged in his 50s.
In December 2016 his father died and soon afterwards Steve was put on steroids to cope with a skin condition. This became so bad he couldn’t sleep and had to stop working due to fatigue.
In May last year he was admitted to hospital with illnesses including pneumonia, just after banking £150,000 from his father’s estate.
“I was on a drip and numerous drugs and cannot remember the first few days but I got an email from Ladbrokes to try out their casino games,” he says.
“Frankie Dettori’s Magic Seven jackpot allows you to play a fruit machine at £1,250 a spin and in one week I lost my father’s inheritance.
“It can spin at turbo speed which takes half a second and you can set it at 30-50 auto spins. On one occasion I lost over £62,000 in under a minute.
“I was out of work and sick at the time, and even when I am at work I only earn about £20,000 a year.
“This moment of madness has ruined my life, and I feel Ladbrokes encouraged me to do this.”
Steve complained to the company but weeks would go by without getting a response – something I can identify with since it took me three emails to Ladbrokes before I got a reply. It said privacy rules meant that it could not discuss Steve’s case with me, even though he’s given permission for them to do so.
The firm emailed Steve to say: “We feel we have upheld all of the conditions and codes of practice relating to your account and your welfare. All processes have been followed correctly and as such, all stakes were taken in good faith and there is no refund due to you.”
Interestingly, Ladbrokes has now cut the maximum stake on the Frankie Dettori game from £1,250 to £125 if playing on desktop computers, and £50 if playing on mobile devices following what it called a ‘liability-management review’.