A 76-year-old grandfather from Burnley suffered a heart attack days after a William Hill online casino glitch showed he had won £285,700, only for the sum to disappear. John Riding, a retired printing boss, was playing Cherry Bonanza on his mobile phone with 10p stakes when the apparent jackpot appeared. He visited a local William Hill shop where staff confirmed the win, prompting celebrations.
Riding told the Mirror he was ecstatic and planned to use the money to move closer to his grandchildren, pay for a family holiday to St Ives, and buy his granddaughter a car. However, about 24 hours later, the balance vanished. He said he was never formally told it was an error, only that a 'manual adjustment' had been made. An inbox message still read: 'Hi John you are £285,000 up this month.'
Ten days after the apparent win, Riding was rushed to hospital with chest pain. His son Adam said the shock of losing the money was unbearable and had a serious impact on his father's health. Riding's wife Glynis said he was 'ecstatic' when he first told her, but the family were left terrified they might lose him.
William Hill has stated that, under its terms and conditions, it can nullify transactions and adjust balances in cases of errors. In March, the company asked customers to return funds erroneously credited due to a glitch. Solicitor Paul Kanolik from Ellis Jones said his firm has been approached by 50 affected customers and is considering group legal action.
Riding attempted to withdraw the money but was locked out of his account and struggled to get through to customer service. He said: 'I just couldn't understand why I couldn't withdraw the money that I had won.' The incident has left him devastated, with his dreams of financial security shattered.
