Luke Ashton inquest: Betfair said bettor was 'low threat' before he died

A betting company has actually told an inquest a man who died after developing huge gaming debts was a "low threat" consumer.

Luke Ashton, from Leicester, died in April 2021 after developing betting debts of ₤ 18,000.

His spouse Annie told the hearing he killed himself after falling back into dependency when he was provided a totally free bet by Betfair.

The company said his wagering patterns had actually not been uncommon before he passed away.

The inquest, at Leicester City Center, was told the variety of online bets Mr Ashton placed surged in the month before his death and he increased the amounts he staked.

However Richard Clarke, the handling director of consumer relations for Flutter UKI - Betfair's parent business - said the company's algorithm found nothing in his wagering patterns that would set off human intervention that may have limited his betting.

Lawyers for Mr Ashton's household had actually said the company must have spotted his "irregular" wagering and stepped in as he chased his losses before his death.

Mr Ashton had decided to "self-exclude" himself on celebrations in 2013, 2014 and 2016, as being high risk.

However, Mr Clarke stated Mr Ashton had not met the limit for a human evaluation of his account.

He stated the company relied on a computer model that evaluated 277 aspects of its clients' wagering daily to choose problem bettors who would then be telephoned by its gamer protection group.

He told the hearing: "The obstacle in Luke's case was trying to see him from the crowd of clients who are are extremely savvy."

Mr Clarke stated Mr Ashton almost specifically utilized the Betfair Exchange item, where customers can bet versus each other, and, even on his most active days, there were countless clients wagering higher quantities more frequently than he was.

He included the ₤ 2,500 transferred on 5 March was not unusual for Betfair Exchange users.

He said the system therefore had actually not identified Mr Ashton for intervention.

'Tragic outcome'

Jesse Nicholls, representing the Ashton household, checked out from a report gotten ready for the coroner by independent specialist and economist Prof David Forrest.

Mr Nicholls said: "His conclusion was Betfair should have recognized Luke as at threat of gambling harm and taken more and more powerful actions to make him safe especially because duration of early 2021."

He asked Mr Clarke if he felt the company needs to have done more.

The inquest continues.

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