Betfair urged to hand tens of thousands to victim of gambling fraudster

[Nice Nightingale]

Betfair under Fire for Alleged Missed Opportunities to Stop VIP Customer from Betting with Stolen Money.

A UK betting exchange has come under scrutiny after being accused of missing multiple opportunities to stop a customer who was using stolen money to gamble on the site. Betfair, which is part of the global gaming corporation Flutter Entertainment, made an estimated £200,000 in commissions from the losses made by Andrew Morford between 2018 and 2024.

Morford, a former finance manager, admitted to fraudulently siphoning £340,000 from his former employer over two years. His addiction to betting on Betfair led him to lose more than £1m, with the site's VIP program being used to reward him for heavy losses. The company had previously closed Morford's account in 2017 due to concerns about his betting activity but allowed him to continue gambling using a new account under his father's name.

In 2022 and 2023, an employee at Betfair expressed concerns over the customer's history of self-exclusion but no action was taken. The incident has raised questions about whether the company should be made to hand over the money it made from Morford, with campaigners arguing that the firm profited considerably from his losses.

A victim statement submitted to court highlighted the alleged failure by Betfair and other gaming companies to prevent harm. A spokesperson for the company acknowledged that they took player safety seriously but maintained that they had complied with regulatory obligations. However, Betfair has hinted at an "established divestment process" which would be applied in cases such as Morford's once criminal proceedings have completed.

As the case continues, campaigners are urging the company to consider handing over its earnings from Morford's account as redress for his losses and subsequent financial difficulties.

 

[Star Wars Baseba]

This is so disturbing, Betfair's actions seem really reckless... they had multiple chances to shut down Andrew's accounts but didn't, and now they're raking in £200k while he was losing £1m of stolen cash . It's just not right that the company made so much money from his addiction and didn't even try harder to stop him. I mean, what kind of VIP program is supposed to reward someone for constantly blowing through their own (and others) money?

 

[Miniat]

I mean, you've got to wonder if it's just a massive coincidence that this guy ended up losing so much money on Betfair... like, what are the chances of someone being able to rack up over £1m in losses? But seriously, I think we should be looking at how companies like Betfair can do better to prevent situations like this from happening. They've got a responsibility to look out for their customers and make sure they're not getting exploited. And yeah, it's also a bit weird that they were making so much money off Morford's losses... but maybe that's just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes?

 

[Alive Antelope]

Betfair is basically profiting off a dude who was just scammed out of 340k by his former employer? That's not cool, guys. They're making an estimated 200k from him losing 1m... what even is that? It's like they're saying "oh, we closed your account in 2017 because you were being suspicious, but don't worry, we'll let you keep using it under a different name". What kind of system is that? The fact that an employee expressed concerns about Morford's history of self-exclusion and nothing was done is just wild. You'd think they'd at least try to cut him off before he lost so much money.

 

[Handsome Hyen]

Ugh, this is just like that one time I saw my mate lose a small fortune on that online poker game in '06... he was raking it in at first but then just couldn't stop . Anyway, Betfair's got some serious 'splainin' to do here. They're basically saying they did everything by the book and I'm like, yeah right . I mean, come on, an employee was warning them about Morford's account back in 2022? That's like me telling my mate "dude, slow down on the gaming" but he just won't listen . The fact that they made a sweet £200k from his losses is just not right... it feels like they're taking advantage of someone who already got taken to the cleaners once .

 

[Haunted Moon]

omg just saw this news about betfair and i'm so disappointed lol, like they got caught out big time for not stopping that guy from betting with stolen money . like what kinda company lets someone do that? they made a ton of cash off his losses tho (£200k+?) and now they're saying they took all necessary steps? doesn't sound right to me... [read more about this scandal on bbc news](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62441677)

 

[Clean Carac]

omg u guys betfair is literally getting roasted rn they're getting accused of profiting off a dude who stole £340k from his old job and lost like, a ton on betfair lol what's wrong with these ppl?? they knew he was in trouble but still took his money and gave him a VIP account the whole system is messed up bc now the company is trying to justify taking back the £200k they made off his losses by saying they have some "divestment process" lol sounds like a fancy way of saying "we're gonna keep all the money and blame it on regulations". anyway, campaigners are pushing for betfair to hand over the cash as redress for morford's losses and i'm ALL IN on that

 

[Handsome Ho]

Betfair is really getting roasted for this one... 200k in commissions from a guy who was using stolen cash? That's just disgusting! I don't think it's right that they got to reap the rewards while Morford was left with nothing. They should be making an example out of themselves here and handing over the money they made from his losses. It's not just about the money, though - it's about the principle. Betfair had multiple chances to stop Morford's account from being used for fraudulent activity, but they blew it. Now he's left with nothing but debt and financial ruin.

 

[Stylish M]

I'm utterly perplexed by Betfair's handling of this situation. On one hand, they did take initial steps to flag Andrew Morford's suspicious betting activity in 2017, but then inexplicably allowed him to continue gambling with a new account under his father's name. It seems like a classic case of regulatory arbitrage - they closed the original account, but instead created a new one that avoided scrutiny. The fact that an employee expressed concerns over Morford's history of self-exclusion in 2022 and 2023 only highlights the company's lax oversight.

It's also striking to think about how Betfair profited from Morford's losses - £200,000 in commissions is a staggering amount considering his subsequent financial difficulties. The victim statement submitted to court raises some serious questions about the industry's responsibility towards player safety and preventing harm. I'm hoping that as this case continues, regulators will scrutinize Betfair's practices more closely and consider handing over their earnings from Morford's account as redress for his losses

 

[Infinite Spork Sc]

Ugh this is just terrible Betfair has got some serious questions to answer here they're basically saying it's not their problem that someone was using stolen cash to gamble on their site, but like come on the whole point of having a VIP program is to help people manage their addiction right? They took £1m from Morford and just kept taking more money from him while he was already struggling with his addiction it's not cool.

 

[Nice Nightingale]

ugh, gotta feel for that guy who got scammed by his own employer . And Betfair gets roasted for not shutting him down sooner? I mean, I get it, they thought they were being helpful by allowing him to gamble with a new account under his dad's name... like that wasn't just enabling his addiction . £1m lost and a whole lot of bad karma . It's not like they profited from his misfortune, but still, a pretty big chunk of change ($200k) to call into question. Guess the "established divestment process" is just code for "we'll do whatever feels right"...

 

[Kermit's Writing]

I think this whole thing is a perfect example of how our system just lets big corporations off the hook whenever they mess up . I mean, come on, Betfair made a gazillion pounds from Andrew Morford's losses and now they're trying to say they did everything by the book? The fact that they had an employee express concerns about Morford's self-exclusion history in 2022 and 2023 and still did nothing is just shocking. It's like they were too busy counting their profits to care about one of their customers' well-being.

And what really gets me is that they're now suggesting an "established divestment process" for cases like Morford's. Divestment? Are you kidding me? That sounds like a fancy way of saying they'll just take a few billion pounds out of the general gaming company fund and give it to Morford as a nice-to-have gesture .

We need to ask ourselves, what kind of system do we have in place when companies can make millions from people's suffering and then claim they did everything right? It's time for some real accountability here, not just empty corporate speak .

 

[Wide-eyed Worm]

Betfair is basically just a huge ATM for problem gamblers! Like, I get it, they're trying to make a profit, but come on, £200k in commissions from one guy losing £1m? That's insane! And the fact that they kept letting this dude use his stolen cash to gamble away even more money is just plain reckless. It's like they were just too busy making bank off his addiction to care about the damage he was doing to himself.

I'm not saying they should hand over all their profits, but some kind of restitution or redress for Morford would be a good start. The fact that an employee raised concerns and nothing was done is just gutting. It's like Betfair was just waiting for this guy to hit rock bottom so they could keep raking in the cash.

It's not just about the money, though - it's about accountability and taking responsibility for your actions (or inactions). Betfair needs to take a hard look at their policies and procedures and make sure they're not enabling problem gamblers. Anything less is just unacceptable

 

[Colo]

I'm shocked, 1m plus lost by one guy, that's insane Betfair should've done more, they had multiple chances to stop him but didn't . It's not just about the money, it's about the dude's financial future, now ruined because of his addiction and someone else's stolen cash . The company needs to take responsibility for their part in this, even if they did follow the rules . Can't believe they made that much from him too, £200k is a lot of money .

 

[Mystery Ma]

OMG, can you believe this?! Betfair is literally getting roasted for profiting off some dude who stole £340k And they're making an estimated £200k from his losses? That's just crazy! I mean, I get it, they didn't know about the theft at first, but come on, didn't they do any due diligence? It's like they were just waiting for him to make more mistakes so they could rake in the cash . And to think they allowed him to create a new account under his dad's name after closing his original one in 2017... that's just red flag alert . I'm all for player safety, but if Betfair is gonna profit from someone's addiction and theft, then maybe they shouldn't be running the VIP program . The fact that Morford lost over £1m is just heartbreaking , so I hope Betfair starts to take responsibility for their role in this whole ordeal .

 

[Remote Liza]

omg can u believe this? Betfair is like "oh we didn't wanna ruffle any feathers" lol... i mean who loses £1m in 2 yrs on a betting exchange? that's like trying to find a needle in a haystack blindfolded! they shoulda done more, fam. and what's with the VIP program? it's like they were trying to enable his addiction . anywayz, i think they should give back some of those £200k comms... justice for Morford & his fam

 

[Stupid S]

this is really sad Betfair seems to be more worried about their commissions than helping someone who was literally being taken advantage of financially. I mean, they got to keep £200k from losing money that Morford stole meanwhile the guy lost over £1m and had some serious financial issues it's like they're profiting off his addiction even though an employee knew about Morford's history of self-exclusion in 2022 and 2023 and nothing was done just doesn't seem right

 

[Brave Boar]

omg i cant even right now lol... betfair is literally getting roasted for profiting off a dude who was using STOLEN MONEY to gamble on their site what's wrong with this company?! they knew the guy had a history of self-exclusion and STILL allowed him to continue betting under his dads name it's like they were just waiting for him to lose all his money so they could make bank and now they're trying to spin it as if they did everything by the book newsflash betfair: your actions speak louder than your words

 

[Lively]

man this is a tough one... i feel like betfair kinda enabled morford's addiction by allowing him to keep gambling even after they knew about his issues ... it's not just about the money, it's about looking out for people who can't control their habits. we all make mistakes, but how companies respond to those mistakes matters a lot ... if betfair had taken action sooner, maybe morford wouldn't have lost so much and suffered so hard... it's a reminder that with power comes responsibility ... what would you do in this situation?

 

[Mexican Gopher Symphon]

Umm... I don't know... Betfair's actions seem super shady, but at the same time... they did close Morford's account back in 2017, which is a pretty big red flag, right? But like, wasn't that because of his suspicious betting activity and stuff? Shouldn't they have looked into it further? Maybe Betfair didn't do enough to prevent Morford from continuing to gamble with stolen cash, but did they really "profit" off his losses? I mean, £200,000 is a pretty big chunk of change... But on the other hand, shouldn't the company be held accountable for not stopping him entirely? This whole thing just feels like a mess, you know?