William Hill sued by victims of gambling addict for £1.5m

VICTIMS of a gambling addict who stole money and gambled it away have sued William Hill in the UK, seeking £1.5m in damages.

The thief in question was able to punt more than £450,000 at William Hill before a single question was asked by the bookmaker.

According to the lawyers representing the victims, the bookmakers failed in its anti-money laundering and anti-problem gambling responsibilities and must now pay the price.

As part of its problem-gambling commitments, bookmakers in the United Kingdom must ensure that money being used to gamble, especially at retail shops, is legitimate.

All in all, the thief was able to gamble upwards of £650,000 over a six month period in a number of different retail shops and would, incredibly, bring in a large duffle bag filled with cash, that William Hill staff would keep behind the counter for him.

The UK Gambling Commission is investigating the case, which has a number of moving parts. The money was initially stolen from Dubai and has never been part of a UK police investigation, complicating the matter.

In a statement this week, William Hill said it was

That money was stolen by the man from clients whilst working in the property industry in Dubai. In the UK, the man is currently not being charged after agreeing to help his victims seek to reclaim the funds from the bookmakers. However, he claims that he cannot go back to Dubai, as he will be arrested.

It is believed that the UK Gambling Commission is currently investigating the issue. A spokesperson from William Hill said:

“We are aware of a number of allegations by [name withheld] and have been waiting for months for them to be substantiated. We continue to await this information and note he has not been subject to any police investigation or prosecution with regards to the alleged thefts.”

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