The Memo: Paddy Power ordered to pay £1 million to prize winner

Imagine you’re playing an online gambling game, desperately hoping to win a prize, when all of a sudden,you find out that you’ve won just over £1 million. You’d probably get straight to planning a bunch of holidays and adding some fancy champagne to your shopping cart. Now imagine checking your bank account to bask in the glory of your million-pound win, only to find £20,000 added to your balance. While that could still fund a pretty hefty shopping spree, it’snot quite the £1 million you'd been promised. So, should you start spending anyway or ask for the prize money you were told you’d won? For Corrinne Durber from Gloucestershire, the choice was simple: fight for what you deserve. 

Durber had been playing Paddy Powers’ ‘Wild Hatter’ game on her iPad in October 2020 when she spun its jackpot wheel and was told she’d won that day’s £1 million ‘monster jackpot.’ However, when she only received £20k from Paddy Power, the company claimed that an error with the game’s display meant it mistakenly pointed to the wrong prize. Not accepting this as an excuse, Durber filed a lawsuit for breach of contract. Following a judgment in her favour earlier this month, she will be awarded her full winnings. Mr Justice Ritchie’s judgment said that the app’s “what you see is what you get” model is “central” to the game, so Durber was therefore entitled to her full prize. This is because she had effectively entered into a contract with Paddy Power when playing the game. That’s why it’s always good to read the terms and conditions, especially when there could be millions at stake! 

Though it’s been almost five years since she initially won her prize, Durber will now receive the full prize money. How she’ll spend it? Who knows! But she’s sure had a long time to imagine where the money may go.