Won 570 Million Won at Online Casino, Then Lost It Due to 'System Error'... UK Man in His 70s Suffers Heart Attack from Shock

Family Says "Severe Stress Was the Cause"

More Than 50 Similar Victims Identified

Class Action Movement Against Company Growing

Company Admits "Funds Paid Out by System Error"

In the United Kingdom, a man in his 70s suffered a heart attack after experiencing severe stress when his multi-million won casino winnings from an online casino were reclaimed due to a system error.

On April 1 (local time), UK media outlet the Daily Mirror reported that William Hill, an online casino company, reclaimed winnings that had been mistakenly paid out due to a system error, causing a man to experience significant psychological trauma and subsequent health issues.

Offline store of the online casino company William Hill. William Hill

John Riding, 76, won approximately 285,700 pounds (about 570 million won) after betting 10 pence (about 200 won) on a mobile game from William Hill. Riding recalled, “I was unbelievably happy and it felt like a dream,” adding, “I made plans to travel with my family and buy my granddaughter a car—my life was about to change.”

However, the joy was short-lived. The winnings disappeared from his account in less than 24 hours. Riding stated, “I received no official explanation—just a message that my account had been ‘manually adjusted.’ Although the money was gone, the message indicating I had won remained.” After the incident, he reported suffering from severe stress, and around ten days after winning, he collapsed from sudden pain and was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a heart attack.

His family believes that the psychological shock from having his winnings reclaimed caused his health to deteriorate. His son, Adam Riding, said, “This wasn’t just about the money—it was about how the situation was handled. Having everything suddenly disappear without explanation was a shock that was difficult to bear.” Medical staff also reportedly checked for stress, noting that the heart attack occurred despite the absence of any underlying health conditions.

Meanwhile, this case was not an isolated incident. William Hill has recently faced controversy over reclaiming funds mistakenly paid out to some customers due to a system error. More than 50 users have claimed similar damages, and some are considering a class action lawsuit. William Hill’s parent company, Evoke, stated, “During inspection, some amounts were temporarily paid out in error and subsequently reclaimed,” adding, “We apologize for the inconvenience caused to customers and offer our sincerest apologies.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.