A UK High Court judge has ruled that Flutter Entertainment's Betfair is not responsible for repaying £1.48 million ($1.7 million) lost by property developer Lee Gibson, stating the betting exchange had no duty of care to prevent his losses.

Gibson, who lost the money primarily on soccer bets between 2009 and 2019, claimed Betfair should have identified his gambling risks by 2012. However, Judge Nigel Bird noted in his 11-page ruling that Gibson never disclosed any gambling problems and repeatedly assured staff he could afford his losses, even claiming to be a multimillionaire.

The judge emphasized that Gibson's financial information appeared accurate, and his losses, while substantial, seemed sustainable given his reported wealth. Unlike the 2008 Calvert vs. William Hill case, where the bookmaker failed to honor a self-exclusion request, Gibson never sought such protection from Betfair.

The ruling reinforces British law's position that operators aren't generally responsible for preventing self-inflicted harm unless specifically requested by the customer. Judge Bird stated that since gambling is legal in the UK, Parliament couldn't have intended gambling contracts to be automatically void.

"A successful gambler should not be deprived of the fruits of his bet, but equally, a losing gambler should not be able to escape the consequences of his decisions," concluded Judge Bird, establishing a significant precedent for future gambling liability cases in the UK.

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