Bookmaker Wins $750,000 Lawsuit Against 159 Players Over Game Glitch

A South African court has ruled that 159 players must return approximately 13 million rand (about $750,000) to local bookmaker Hollywood Sportsbook after they benefited from a technical malfunction in one of its games, ITWEB reports.

The glitch occurred in December 2023 and lasted for nine days in the live lottery game Instant Lucky 7 by provider BetGames, offered on the bookmaker’s platform. During that period, the system failed to deduct stakes but continued crediting winnings as normal.

This allowed players to collect risk-free payouts, but they are now obliged to repay the funds.

Hollywood Sportsbook contacted the customers as soon as the error was discovered and suggested an amicable settlement, but the players declined, telling the company to resolve the matter in court.

During the proceedings, the bookmaker alleged that bettors may have colluded in a coordinated fraud. The court, however, dismissed this argument, noting that the players lived in different parts of South Africa and had no ties to each other.