majorchimp

A man thought he'd won £145,000 on William Hill. He withdrew £33,000, told his mother battling cancer that he'd pay off her mortgage, then the company said the win never happened. – Matt Cook was playing William Hill's Jackpot Drop game on March 16, 2026, when his account balance suddenly jumped to around £145,000. – He managed to withdraw approximately £33,000 before his account was locked. – Cook told his 67-year-old mother, who was battling breast cancer, that he would use the winnings to pay off her mortgage. – He also started setting money aside for a car for his disabled child and promised the mothers of his other children that he would help with their college fees. – He believed the money was finally going to change his family's lives. – But the following day, William Hill contacted him with a different explanation. – The company said his winnings were caused by a technical error and demanded that he return the entire £33,000 he had already withdrawn. – They gave him just three days to repay the money. – This is one reason some criticize sportsbooks. The sportsbook sets the odds and operates the platform, while the customer is betting against the house. Sportsbooks win when bettors lose. – William Hill offered to let him keep only around 11% of what he had withdrawn as a "goodwill" gesture. – And Cook wasn't the only person affected. – Another man, Lee Oliver, believed he had won £48,000 through the same glitch. – He had withdrawn £18,000 before being told the winnings were invalid. – A mother from Wakefield, Claire Ainsley, believed she had won more than £1 MILLION. William Hill had reportedly told her directly, "Yes, it will be in your bank," before reversing its position two days later. – A 76 year old man, John Riding, had £285,000 clawed back and said the stress caused him to suffer a heart attack. – In April 2026, Cook appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain to explain what had happened. – He said the situation was about more than the money because he had already made promises to his family. He also warned that repaying the full amount could bankrupt him. – Evoke, the company that owns William Hill, told reporters that a technical issue had caused incorrect sums to be credited to players' balances and withdrawals to be processed incorrectly. Matt Cook thought he'd won £145,000, withdrew £33,000 and started making plans to help his family. Then William Hill told him the money was never really his and demanded it back.