A woman who won £1 million on an online game but received only £20,000 has won a legal battle to claim her full prize. Corrinne Durber, a gardener from Gloucestershire, refused to back down and took the gambling company to court. On Wednesday, the high court ruled in her favor, ordering the company to pay £1,076,867.57.
Durber expressed relief after the verdict. “I’m so happy the judge confirmed I fairly and squarely won £1M,” she said. “But why did they put me through this legal torment instead of paying me straight away?”
She criticized the company for trying to avoid paying her rightful winnings. “What’s the point of betting if companies refuse to pay when someone wins big?” she added.
The dispute started in October 2020 when Durber played Wild Hatter, a game combining elements of a fruit machine and a wheel of fortune. She reached the jackpot round and spun the wheel, which displayed a “monster jackpot” win of £1,097,132.71.
Despite this, the company paid her only £20,265.14, claiming she had actually won a smaller daily jackpot. They blamed a system error for displaying the wrong prize amount.
Unwilling to accept the explanation, Durber sued for breach of contract, arguing that the company should honor the amount displayed on her screen.
On Wednesday, Mr. Justice Ritchie ruled in her favor. He emphasized that the principle of “what you see is what you get” was crucial in gambling. “Customers expect what they see on screen to be accurate and correct,” he said.
He compared the case to a physical casino. “If someone bets on number 13 in roulette and the ball lands on 13, they expect to be paid,” he explained.
Following the ruling, a spokesperson for the gambling company responded. “Thousands of customers win every week, including one person who received £5.7 million last year,” they said. “We strive for fairness and deeply regret this case. We are reviewing the judgment.”
Durber remains critical of the company’s actions. “I will never bet with them again, and I advise others to be very careful, too,” she said.
Her victory highlights the importance of companies honoring their payouts. Gamblers expect to receive the prizes they win, and this case reinforces that principle.
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