Betfair to be probed in court over online betting liability 

Betfair is due to be scrutinised in court tomorrow over its duty of care in relation to the dangers of online gambling and betting following a problem gambler’s suicide. 

The online gambling giant, owned by Irish-American betting giant owned by Flutter Entertainment, will face questions over claims it failed to identify Luke Ashton’s gambling addiction and intervene before he took his own life in 2021. 

The case is expected to raise questions around the dangers of online betting and to what extent betting operators owe a duty of care to those who use their services, in particular if they develop a gambling disorder. 

The claim was brought by his widow, Annie Ashton, and family after a coroner’s inquest in 2023 concluded that Betfair had failed to step in after his gambling habits increased. 

According to the inquest, Betfair had identified Ashton to be “low-risk” despite indicators of problem gambling in his behaviour, with spikes in his activity, spending almost the whole day gambling on Betfair, which the company’s automated algorithms did not pick up on. 

Copies of the inquest were sent to the gambling sector’s regulator, the Gambling Commission, but in February 2025, the regulator decided not to take further action against Betfair. 

Ashton’s widow also filed a separate claim for a judicial review of the regulator in February last year, challenging its decision not to take the matter further. 

In a response to the inquest, Betfair’s parent company Flutter Entertainment said it “holds itself to the highest standards” in the gambling industry and “aims to lead in the area of safer gambling and customer protection.”

“We reiterate our sincere condolences to Mrs Ashton and her family over this tragic case. Unfortunately, we are unable to comment further at this time because of the legal proceedings,” a Flutter spokesperson told City AM. 

The case is expected to be heard in the High Court this week, with the hearing scheduled to start on Thursday and expected to last three weeks. 

Gambling industry under scrutiny 

This comes as the gambling industry is under increasing scrutiny for regulatory failings. 

Betfair’s Paddy Power was fined £2m last year by the Gambling Commission as part of a regulatory settlement after failing to protect users who were showing concerning betting behaviour. 

The regulator said Paddy Power fell short of its social responsibility requirements following a 2024 compliance assessment.