Luke Ashton: Betfair Criticised by Coroner Over Gambler's Death

Luke Ashton: Betfair criticised by coroner over bettor's death

29 June 2023

ByDan Martin
BBC News

A coroner has actually discovered Betfair ought to have done more to help a gambling addict before he eliminated himself.

Luke Ashton, 40, from Leicester, died in April 2021 after developing substantial debts wagering online.

An inquest heard he staked bigger amounts chasing his losses in the weeks before his death.

Coroner Ivan Cartwright stated he was concerned Betfair did not meaningfully connect or step in when Mr Ashton's gaming activity spiked.

He concluded betting condition was a cause of Mr Ashton's death.

Missed chances

The inquest, at Leicester Town Hall, heard before he passed away, Mr Ashton had actually been wagering more than 100 times a day, consisting of early in the morning and late during the night when his wife was asleep.

He positioned 1,229 bets in March 2021 and on one day of that month alone he deposited ₤ 2,500.

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Mr Cartwright said: "He was assessed as being a low-risk gambler although his activity was more extensive in the 10 weeks prior to his death.

"The operator did not step in or communicate with Mr Ashton in any meaningful way.

"Betfair might have done more in the relevant period and needs to have done more in what I discover was a turning point between late January and April 2021.

"Opportunities were missed that might potentially have actually changed the result for Luke."

Mr Ashton's body was discovered in a rented flat near Mexborough, South Yorkshire, after his partner reported him missing out on and his phone was tracked using an app.

Betfair was called to provide proof to the inquest as Mr Cartwright sought to establish whether the company's actions contributed to Mr Ashton's death.

Lawyers for Mr Ashton's household said the business ought to have identified him as an issue bettor and taken "more and more powerful steps" to keep him from damage.

Betfair informed the inquest it used a computer system algorithm to keep track of client wagering which Mr Ashton was considered "low threat".

The company said its algorithm found nothing in his wagering patterns that would trigger human intervention that might have limited his betting.

Instead Mr Ashton was sent eight automated and generic "awareness" emails by the business.

Tragic outcome

Mr Cartwright said he was "perplexed" the algorithm did not flag Mr Ashton as an issue gambler.

He stated had that occurred there were chances to get help for Mr Ashton who had had confessed his gaming issue to his wife in 2019 but later hid the reality he had begun wagering once again.

Richard Clarke, the handling director of client relations for Flutter UKI - Betfair's parent business - gave evidence to the hearing and was asked by the the household's legal representatives if he felt the company must have done more.

Mr Clarke said: "We have actually looked really thoroughly at the actions we took and we are confident we satisfied the regulative requirement at the time.

"As a business, clearly looking at the awful result here, I would enjoy to have done more."

He stated Betfair had presented further safeguards given that 2021, including deposit limitations from customers returning from self-exclusion durations and monetary vulnerability checks, however they came in before the firm was made conscious of Mr Ashton's death.

Mr Cartwright concerned a narrative conclusion that Luke died as an outcome of his own actions.

He said he would prepare a Prevention of Future Deaths Report with recommendations based on the "complex and uncommon case".

After the hearing, Annie Ashton said: "The coroner's conclusion validates what I have constantly thought that gaming triggered Luke's death.

"It vindicates what I have argued the whole time that gaming is destructive, damages households and triggers suicide."

She said she hoped the inquest's findings would urgently prompt gambling firms to much better interact with consumers.

She said Betfair's evaluation of her spouse as "low threat" was not fit for purpose.

Mrs Ashton described her hubby as a "bright delighted and bubbly person" who made good friends quickly.

"As a hubby and a father, Luke was nothing except helpful and proud," she added.

"He was a genuine rock to us all however in truth he masked his own pain to protect us from what he was going through."

Ian Brown, president of Flutter UKI, said: "We wish to reiterate our sincere acknowledgements to Mrs Ashton and her family. We are genuinely sorry for their loss.

"Flutter UKI is dedicated to doing the right thing and creating an environment for consumers to enjoy our items in a safe and sustainable way.

"Over the past three years we have actually made considerable changes to our controls, including necessary deposit limitations for customers who return to our websites after a duration of self-exclusion.

"We hold ourselves to the absolute greatest requirements in the market and we will, of course, integrate extra learnings from this promotion code awful case into our systems and processes."

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