Luke Ashton: Algorithm missed gambling addict's red flags - inquest

A betting company algorithm failed to detect "red flags" in the behaviour of a man who took his own life after building up huge gambling debts, an inquest heard.

Betfair customer Luke Ashton, 40, from Leicester, had lost thousands of pounds in the months before he died on 22 April, 2021.

His widow Annie told the hearing gambling had caused his death.

Betfair however said Mr Ashton was a "low risk" player.

The hearing, at Leicester Town Hall, had been told Mr Ashton had been gambling more than 100 times a day, including early in the morning and late at night when his wife was asleep.

Economist and gambling industry expert Prof David Forrest was asked to look at Mr Ashton's betting behaviour and Betfair's actions by coroner Ivan Cartwright.

Giving evidence, Prof Forrest said he believed Betfair had failed to identify that Mr Ashton was at risk of harm.

He described "red flags" in Mr Ashton's betting activity, including the number and frequency of his bets and the increasing amount of money he was depositing and losing, which Betfair's algorithm for detecting problem gamblers had missed.

Despite being considered "low risk" by Betfair, Richard Clarke, managing director of its parent company Flutter UKI, told the hearing on Thursday, said it was clear the firm could have done more at the time.

If the model had flagged Mr Ashton as being at risk, a number of further steps could have been taken, including a phone assessment to discuss his behaviour and betting patterns or a forced ban on his account.

Instead, Mr Ashton was sent automated "awareness" emails.

Prof Forrest stated Betfair should have taken "stronger action based on the evolution of his betting".

He told the hearing he was "very surprised" the activity had not been picked up by Betfair's algorithm.

He said there had been a clear "escalation" in Mr Ashton's betting activity in February 2021 and in March, when he was putting down substantially larger bets and there was evidence he was trying to chase his losses.

At the end of March, Betfair sent Mr Ashton another automated email asking him if he wanted to take a time out, despite there being days when he would place more than 100 bets.

Prof Forrest said: "There could have been an option to discuss self-exclusion over the phone, to get some background on what was happening as he may have been experiencing harm, or a forced exclusion."

He said Betfair had not been "significantly curious" enough about its customers' background or behaviour and that the threshold for identifying harm was too high.

Betfair said it was confident it complied with the rules and the regulatory framework in place at the time, but accepted changes have now been made to prevent a customer in Mr Ashton's circumstances from being able to repeat the same pattern of betting.

The inquest heard Mr Ashton had been reported missing by his wife the day before he died.

His phone was traced to a flat he rented in South Yorkshire where police found his body.

The hearing continues.

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