Time running out to find Paddy Power's 'Missing 13' jackpot winners after £1.1m court battle

Thirteen mystery Paddy Power customers could have missed out on huge jackpot payouts because of the same software problem at the centre of a landmark £1.1million High Court battle, and time could now be running out for some of them to take action.

A search is underway for 13 mystery Paddy Power customers who may have missed out on potentially life-changing jackpot payments after being affected by the same software error that led to one woman taking the betting giant to the High Court.

Depending on the individual circumstances of each potential claim, the first six-year limitation deadlines could begin to arise this month.

The existence of the so-called "Missing 13" emerged during the court battle brought by Gloucestershire gardener Corrinne Durber against Paddy Power.

Mrs Durber was playing the online game Wild Hatter on 18 October 2020 when the words "Monster Jackpot £1,097,132.71" appeared on her screen.

She believed she had just become a millionaire.

But Paddy Power refused to pay the displayed jackpot.

Instead, the company said a software error meant the game had incorrectly displayed the Monster Jackpot and that Mrs Durber had actually won a much smaller Daily Jackpot of £20,265.14.

She refused to accept that explanation and embarked on a lengthy legal battle against the bookmaker's parent company, Flutter Entertainment.

In March 2025, Mrs Durber won her case at the High Court.

Mrs Justice Ritchie ruled that Paddy Power was required to pay the £1,097,132.71 displayed on the game's jackpot screen.

With interest and costs, the case ultimately cost the company more than £1.5million.

But evidence disclosed during the proceedings revealed that Mrs Durber may not have been the only player affected.

According to evidence referred to in the case, 13 other Paddy Power customers were affected by the same Wild Hatter display issue between 1 September and 18 October 2020.

A further four Betfair customers were also identified as having been affected.

However, the identities of those players have not been made public.

It is also not publicly known how much money appeared on their screens, what they were subsequently paid or whether any of them were aware that they had potentially experienced the same issue that resulted in Mrs Durber's successful claim.

The search has now taken on added urgency because September 2026 marks six years since the earliest known incidents.

Under the Limitation Act 1980, many contractual claims in England and Wales are generally subject to a six-year limitation period.

However, limitation can depend on the particular facts and legal basis of an individual case, so anyone who believes they may have been affected would need to seek independent legal advice about their own circumstances.

The potential players are being urged to check old emails, betting account records and screenshots if they played Wild Hatter through Paddy Power or Betfair during the relevant period.

Mrs Durber's case centred on what happened after she played the game's "Free Spins" feature in October 2020.

The game's rules meant that matching symbols could result in one of several jackpots.

When Mrs Durber finished playing, the on-screen display told her she had won the £1.097million Monster Jackpot.

Behind the scenes, however, the game's "wheel" had selected the much smaller Daily Jackpot.

Paddy Power argued that the backend result should determine the amount she received.

Mrs Durber argued that she was entitled to the prize the game had actually displayed to her.

The High Court agreed with her.

The ruling attracted widespread attention because of the wider questions it raised about online gambling games, particularly what consumers should be entitled to rely upon when the information displayed on their screen conflicts with data held within a gambling company's systems.

Now attention is turning to the other customers caught up in the same technical issue.

For somebody who played Wild Hatter six years ago, an unusual jackpot screen may have been dismissed as little more than an irritating technical glitch.

Mrs Durber's victory means it could potentially have been considerably more significant.

Anyone who believes they played Wild Hatter on Paddy Power or Betfair between 1 September and 18 October 2020 and experienced a discrepancy involving a jackpot should consider checking any records they still hold and obtaining independent legal advice.

For the "Missing 13", the biggest question is whether they can be found before it is too late.

Do you think you could be one of Paddy Power’s “Missing 13”? If you played Wild Hatter or another potentially affected Paddy Power or Betfair game between 1 September and 20 October 2020, visit https://www.themissing13.com to find out more and get in touch