The KwaZulu-Natal High Court has mandated more than 100 individuals to return over R13 million in illicit winnings stemming from a technical glitch in an online betting game. The case revolves around Hollywood Sportsbook’s Betgames Instant Lucky 7, where a system error allowed players to place bets without any deduction from their accounts, effectively enabling risk-free gambling.
The glitch occurred between December 22 and December 31, 2023, lasting just over a week before the betting company detected the anomaly through its internal monitoring systems.
During this period, punters could wager on the lottery-style game and collect payouts without staking their own money, leading to individual winnings ranging from R3,000 to as high as R443,700.
Judge Robin George Mossop, presiding over the case in Pietermaritzburg, upheld a prior court order from January 2024 requiring the repayment of funds.
He ruled that the wagers were invalid, stating, “The respondents gambled without paying, and thus, they are not entitled to keep the winnings.”
Mossop emphasized that a legitimate bet requires both payment and financial risk elements absent due to the flaw caused by an outsourced developer’s error.
The court also addressed the freezing of the players’ bank accounts at major institutions like Capitec, FNB, Nedbank, Absa, and Standard Bank to prevent withdrawals.
While the freezes were upheld, Judge Mossop expressed concern over their broad scope, noting they might unfairly restrict access to unrelated funds and cause financial hardship, such as failed debit orders.
Defendants argued they had acted in good faith, betting with their own funds and winning fairly, but the judge dismissed these claims, finding no evidence of fraud or collusion among the geographically dispersed group