Northern Ireland

Bookmaking giant seeking to strike out part of student's court action for refusal to pay out £1m winning bet

The High Court in Belfast
The High Court in Belfast The High Court in Belfast

A bookmaking giant being sued for refusing to pay out more than £1m on a student's winning bet is mounting a legal bid to have part of her action struck out, the High Court has heard.

A lawyer for bet365 confirmed a pre-trial application will be made in the lawsuit brought in Belfast by Megan McCann.

Ms McCann, who lives near the city, claims she is owed £1,009,960 after winning on the horses, according to reports.

She was said to be 19 when she staked almost £25,000 on 12 horses running in four races in June 2016.

But the firm declined to pay out, believing her stake was supplied by a third party in breach of its terms and conditions.

In a writ issued against bet365's parent company, Ms McCann alleges breach of contract and seeks damages in excess of £1m.

Although proceedings are still at an early stage, the case came before a court for the first time yesterday.

Counsel for bet365, Peter Hopkins, revealed an attempt will be made to have the case against his client reduced before it reaches trial.

He told a High Court Master: "The application (will be) to strike out part of the statement of claim."

No further details about the action or the legal move were disclosed during the brief hearing.

The case is due back in court in March to fix a date for hearing the application.