In a recent turn of events, leading gambling firm Betika finds itself embroiled in a legal dispute with a disgruntled punter, Nelson Melly, who claims to have won a significant sum of Sh477,590 on Betika’s virtual betting platform.
Despite Melly’s supposed victory, Betika has allegedly failed to honor the payout, leading Melly to issue an ultimatum: pay within 24 hours or face legal consequences.
Melly’s lawyer, Isaac Okinyo, sent a demand letter to Betika, also copied to the Data Protection Agency (DTA) and the Betting Control and Licensing Board (BCLB).
The letter accuses Betika of accessing Melly’s account details without authorization and using his account to place bets on other teams, thereby justifying the non-payment of his alleged winnings.
âYou have refused and continue to refuse to pay our client his bet amount of Ksh477,590/=,” Okinyo’s letter reads. âYou have gone ahead and accessed and illegally used our clientâs account to bet for other teams to justify the loss of the amount won. We have separately raised this issue with the DTA and the BCLB.â
Melly claims to have spent Sh113,712 on October 16, 2023, at around 5 am, to place a virtual bet. Despite his investment and his alleged victory, Betika has yet to fulfill its payment obligation.
The demand letter, dated October 18, 2023, warns Betika to admit liability within one day, failing which legal proceedings will be initiated.
âTake notice that unless we receive your written admission of liability within the next one day from the date herein, we have mandatory instructions to institute legal proceedings against you for recovery to protect our clientâs interest at your own risk to the sequel costs. Be Advised accordingly,â Okinyo states in the letter.
Betika now faces the imminent threat of a lawsuit and potential reputational damage.
The company must respond promptly and adequately to Mellyâs claims to mitigate further legal complications and restore customer trust.
