Thousands of betting players were shocked when the company demanded they return the money, as it was received due to a technical error. One of the affected individuals, Gemma Bradley, said: "I am completely devastated." She added: "I will have to pay back that amount and won't be able to withdraw the remaining money. Luckily, I hadn't booked a holiday or anything like that." Another man, who wished to remain anonymous, said he and his wife were planning to pay off debts of £30,000 after this "life-changing win." He said his wife, who suffered from depression, has not been able to get out of bed since she woke him up in the middle of the night to tell him that "the money is gone." The betting company William Hill stated that the players' win on Monday, March 16, was the result of a system glitch. It is believed the company is in negotiations with tens of thousands of customers after an "unintended malfunction in the jackpot system" led to "erroneous payments" over a 40-minute period that morning. Gemma, 47, who was "crying with joy" and planning to pay off her mortgage, had withdrawn £33,000 of her £47,182 winnings into her bank account. But her joy was short-lived: the next day, the company called her and demanded she return the money, claiming a technical fault had affected the game. According to the Metro newspaper, the jackpot was won 35,072 times during the glitch period, compared to 518 times during the same period the previous week. Another affected person said: "I'm 42, and I thought I would pay off my mortgage, and my mother would enjoy her retirement more. I haven't slept well since then." Players are sharing stories on social media about lost winnings of up to £200,000. Many say they were still celebrating their win when they discovered their accounts had been frozen on betting sites. It is understood that the affected have been offered "settlement agreements" allowing them to recover 11% of the erroneously withdrawn sums if they repay them within three days, though many have chosen to object to the matter. It is believed that more people may have been affected by this issue. Gemma and her 69-year-old mother Ann, who were living together, were preparing to relieve the pressure of mortgage payments in celebration of the event on Monday.
