Betfair's Algorithm Failed to Detect Suicidal Gambler's Risk

Luke Ashton, a 40-year-old man from Leicester, died in April 2021 after building up gambling debts of £18,000 on Betfair. His wife told the official hearing into his death that he committed suicide after relapsing into gambling addiction following Betfair offering him a free bet. Luke Ashton had previously chosen to self-exclude himself on three separate occasions (in 2013, 2014 and 2016).

In the month before his death, the number of online bets that Mr Ashton placed spiked sharply, as did the value of the bets. He placed 1,229 bets in March 2021 and on one day alone that month, he deposited £2,500. Lawyers for Mr Ashton's family claim that Betfair ought to have spotted his erratic betting and intervened.

Richard Clarke, the MD of customer relations for Flutter UKI, told the court in Leicester Town Hall that the firm's algorithm found nothing to warrant human intervention. The computer model used by Betfair analysed 277 elements of customer betting on a daily basis in order to spot problem gamblers. Those detected would then be contacted via telephone by the company’s player protection team. Mr Clarke explained that Mr Ashton’s betting patterns had not been unusual before he died, and therefore not flagged by their systems for more serious action. Luke Ashton was, however, sent eight automated and generic awareness emails by Betfair. Mr Ashton wagered almost exclusively using the Betfair Exchange, which allows customers to bet against each other. Mr Clarke told the hearing: The challenge in Luke's case was trying to see him from the crowd of customers who are very savvy.