Gambler Sues for Incurring £2M Loss

Trader333

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I see that someone is suing William Hill for failure in duty of care because he had a gambling problem and they kept taking his bets.

If he wins his case it could have major consequences for Spreadbetting Companies in my view.

Here is the article:

A compulsive gambler who lost £2 million is making legal history by heading to court to sue a bookmaker for allowing him to keep betting.

Graham Calvert, 28, who began betting in August 2005 and set up an account with William Hill in May 2006, wants the betting agents to pay back his losses.

Mr Calvert, a respected greyhound trainer from Tyne and Wear who at one stage was earning up to £30,000 a month, initially bet £1,000 to £5,000 a time but this quickly grew to single bets of up to £30,000.

In May 2006, he claims he told William Hill that he wanted his account closed and his "self-exclusion" appeal was taped by the bookmaker. He repeated this request a month later but was allowed to carry on betting until December.

He claims he asked to be barred after betting £3.5 million, of which he lost £2,028,858.

Some days he would place 20 bets at £30,000 a punt. He bet a whopping £7.5 million in 16 months, sometimes bringing bin liners stuffed with £100,000 cash to place his bets.

In 2006, he placed £347,000 on America to win the Ryder Cup but lost. At the time, it was the biggest golf bet in history.

Mr Calvert, whose marriage broke down because of his gambling, said: "If I'd known I had the problem and didn't do anything about it, I would see myself as being 100 per cent responsible.

"The fact is that I did try to go through the right procedures and I was let down."

Mr Calvert alleges the betting chain failed in its duty of care and is taking William Hill to the High Court on Monday. The bookmaker vigorously contests the allegations.
 
He'll, probably lose. If I had that addiction I would not go to my bookmaker for help! He should have got legal advice before.
 
Good point Trader333,

However this cannot have any knock on effect for any reputable spread bet companies. Having briefly read the story its clear to see that its not the gambling thats the problem, its William Hill themselves and them only on the basis of responsibility.

The responsibility comes from(what the case is built on) is that Mr Calvert has recorded a phone call for which transcripts can be found on the net. The transcripts show that and prove Mr Calvert made a call to self exclude him from betting, this means that the account is closed and he cannot open it again for 6 months. This is duely confirmed on the phone. It's to help with gambling addicts and self exclusion is well recognised. But...He managed to open the account again within 2 months, this is the angle his solicitor is taking. He should not of been able to open the account as is said by the representative at William Hill. There's obviously a case here but whether he'll win or lose is anyones guess. I've placed a bet with William Hill giving 1/10 odds that he'll lose.
 
Gambler Sues for Incurring £2M Loss

Ridiculous! This is business ffs!

Be interesting to see how it plays out in this crazy red tape world. :rolleyes:

I've placed a bet with William Hill giving 1/10 odds that he'll lose.

ROF!:LOL:
 
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Very interesting. I wonder what would have happened if he had won and Hill found out that he should not have been allowed to bet?
 
I've placed a bet with William Hill giving 1/10 odds that he'll lose.

If you lose the bet will you be suing them as well :)

It is all nonsense to me anyway. Why is someone who is already a Millionaire gambling it away in the first place ? Also would he still be suing if he had won the money ? very unlikely in my view.

The next thing we will see is that we will have to sign agreements that we understand that we can incur financial loss when placing a bet and that placing a bet does not guarantee a financial gain and that bets can lose as well as win.


Paul
 
It's already built in on there disclaimers. U.K only law applies here.

"Spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital with the possibility of losing more than your initial investment and may not be suitable for all investors. Ensure you fully understand the risks involved and seek independent advice if necessary."

This message is displayed (as far as I've seen) on every spread betting site, it's also mentioned again in the terms of conditions and upon opening any account you must agree to these. If the individual decides (as is statistically proven) not to bother reading them but sign to say they have then the onus is clearly on the individual.

This is an extract from William Hill's T&C's:

Whilst most customers are able to enjoy their gambling, William Hill recognises that for a very small number of customers gambling ceases to be fun. For those customers who wish to restrict their gambling, William Hill provides a self-exclusion facility enabling customers to close their account or accounts for a minimum period of six months up to five years as requested. Unless you request self-exclusion, any account that is simply 'closed' can be re-opened at any time. If you require information relating to this facility please contact Customer Services on 0800 085 6296.

They are also are committed to supporting 'Responsible gambling initiatives' and have detailed information about gambleaware.co.uk.

This obviously doesn't get away from the point of Mr Calvert being able to open his account within 2 months. This is what William Hills defence lawers are looking into and more than likely have the information ready to publish in court on Monday as I've heard nothing of out of court settlements. They wouldn't go to court to say 'I dont know what happened' but this is upto the judge based on the evidence provided.




If you lose the bet will you be suing them as well :)

The next thing we will see is that we will have to sign agreements that we understand that we can incur financial loss when placing a bet and that placing a bet does not guarantee a financial gain and that bets can lose as well as win.


Paul
 
Whilst most customers are able to enjoy their gambling, William Hill recognises that for a very small number of customers gambling ceases to be fun. For those customers who wish to restrict their gambling, William Hill provides a self-exclusion facility enabling customers to close their account or accounts for a minimum period of six months up to five years as requested. Unless you request self-exclusion, any account that is simply 'closed' can be re-opened at any time. If you require information relating to this facility please contact Customer Services on 0800 085 6296.

This obviously doesn't get away from the point of Mr Calvert being able to open his account within 2 months. This is what William Hills defence lawers are looking into and more than likely have the information ready to publish in court on Monday as I've heard nothing of out of court settlements. They wouldn't go to court to say 'I dont know what happened' but this is upto the judge based on the evidence provided.[/QUOTE]


I think the point is that his account indeed remianed closed, but that he opened a new one which doesn`t seem to be covered by the rules. His solicitors are arguing that it is - is it reasonable to expect a bookmaker to screen a list of new applications against a self-exclusion list is the question. Moreover, is the self-exclusion list a legal obligation, or only best-endevours? What if I changed my name and applied again?

In this country he'll probably win...
 
Why is someone who is already a Millionaire gambling it away in the first place ?
Very interesting that.

How did he become a millionaire in the first place if he totally lacks discipline ?

Or did he inherit a pile and just swizzle it all down the drain ?
 
It's just a reflection on modern life!

This is another example of the culture whereby "nobody" is responsible for their own actions but "somebody else" is, and can be made to pay. Field day for the lawyers.

Trading soon teaches you to take responsibility for your actions!
 
Trading soon teaches you to take responsibility for your actions!

Very true !

Greyhound training apparently... BBC NEWS | UK | How a gambling addict lost £2.1m

Astonishing there's that much money in it.

Amazing...

Re discipline:

_44425843_calvert203.jpg


OK, that clears that up, eh, if one can't keep ones sticky fingers out of the cookie jar and all...

:D
 
I just cannot believe this man's nerve. Nobody opened the second account for him, he did it himself. His losses seem to be everyone else's fault but his own. He was gambling £30k on single bets, FFS. Self-pitying twerp.
 
Yes, the man's an idiot. When the money is down it's final - end of story.

If you can't TRUST yourself and SELF govern then you shouldn't be in this business. He has no right to win his court case, it's utterly absurd.
 
Methnks that the computer which handles all the recorded calls might have had a hard drive failure or some trainee clicked the wrong button and everything was lost.......
 
i personally hope he wins the case,and quickly! you've got the cheltenham races less than a month away now,then the grand national,wimbledon ,fa cup final etc in fact its probably better for hill to pay out in the long run if hes making 30k a month greyhound training as well! but seriously imagine the absolute deluge of people coming out of the woodwork if he wins the case...never happen.
 
Justice done?

I see he's just lost his case. Lawyers win again eh?
 
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