Luke Ashton inquest: Betfair said gambler was 'low danger' before he passed away

A betting company has actually informed an inquest a guy who passed away after developing up big gaming debts was a "low danger" consumer.

Luke Ashton, from Leicester, passed away in April 2021 after building up gambling debts of ₤ 18,000.

His better half Annie told the hearing he killed himself after relapsing into dependency when he was used a complimentary bet by Betfair.

The firm stated his betting patterns had actually not been uncommon before he died.

The inquest, at Leicester City Center, was informed the number of online bets Mr Ashton placed increased in the month before his death and he increased the quantities he staked.

However Richard Clarke, the managing director of client relations for Flutter UKI - Betfair's parent company - said the firm's algorithm found absolutely nothing in his wagering patterns that would trigger human intervention that may have limited his gaming.

Lawyers for Mr Ashton's household had actually stated the business needs to have found his "unpredictable" betting and stepped in as he chased his losses before his death.

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

However, Mr Clarke said Mr Ashton had actually not fulfilled the threshold for a human evaluation of his account.

He said the business counted on a computer system design that analysed 277 components of its consumers' wagering daily to select problem bettors who would then be telephoned by its player security team.

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

Mr Clarke said Mr Ashton practically exclusively used the Betfair Exchange product, where consumers can bet versus each other, and, even on his most active days, there were countless customers betting greater amounts more regularly than he was.

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

He said the system for that reason had actually not recognized Mr Ashton for intervention.

'Tragic result'

Jesse Nicholls, representing the Ashton household, read from a report prepared for the coroner by independent expert and economic expert Prof David Forrest.

Mr Nicholls said: "His conclusion was Betfair ought to have determined Luke as at danger of gambling harm and taken more and more powerful steps to make him safe especially because period of early 2021."

He asked Mr Clarke if he felt the business must have done more.

The inquest continues.

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