Three UK High Court judges have thrown out real estate tycoon Lee Gibson’s suit against Betfair after denying his appeal to recoup nearly £1.5m ($1.9m) lost gambling with the sportsbook.
Judge Nigel Bird rejected Gibson’s case last year in which the plaintiff argued Betfair should have taken action to stop him gambling on mostly soccer games.
Judge Bird ruled Gibson had “consistently and often reassured Betfair that he was able to fund his gambling (including his losses) and none of the information he provided to Betfair painted a different picture.”
Gibson, however, appealed Bird’s decision on five grounds to move his case to the Court of Appeals.
In October, as the Racing Post revealed, the appeals court led by Chancellor of the High Court Sir Colin Birss, Lord Justice Popplewell, and Sir Julian Flaux ruled out Gibson’s appeal. The decision was that Gibson’s argument hung on his challenge there “was no breach of Betfair’s licence conditions.”
no justification for allowing the appeal”
The judges fully backed Bird’s original decision, with Chancellor Birss stating he could see: “no justification for allowing the appeal against the conclusion that Betfair neither knew nor ought to have known that Mr Gibson was a problem gambler.”
According to the Post, the Court of Appeals’ decision was expected to “be a key test case, with the potential to open the floodgates” to other bettors seeking to recoup their losses, had Gibson’s appeal succeeded.
