South African players were ordered to return winnings received as a result of a game malfunction

159 South African players were ordered to return winnings totaling 13 million rand (about 747,000 USD). These funds were obtained through an error that occurred between December 22 and December 31, 2023 in the Betgames Instant Lucky 7 game, which has similarities to the national lottery.

The game crashed due to an error made by one of the third-party developers of Hollywood Sports games and led to the fact that the draws were held every 30 seconds, and the money from the players was not debited when placing bets.

In court, as an example of a player who took advantage of a game malfunction between December 22 and 31, 2025, Nsikayesizwe Tobelani Gkabashe was cited, who placed 40 bets in 4 days and received 443,700 rand, after which he withdrew the money and transferred it to his bank account.

The company leading the Betgames Instant Lucky 7 game, after meeting you, perhaps something has changed in the meeting society in the game. However, all the players refused to return their winnings, which caused them to go to court.

On January 5, 2024, Judge Jacqueline Henriques issued an interim ruling in favor of the owner company. She recently spoke out on this issue, saying that in order for the company to recover the loss, the court ordered all banks that are defendants in the lawsuit to freeze the accounts of the winners.

The respondents gave standard sworn statements, denying their guilt. They also believed that blocking accounts was an illegal act that resulted in missed debit payments and a deterioration in credit history.

The court's message came after: “The respondents played for free.” “The bets placed by the respondents in the contested game were invalid. It follows that the defendants were not entitled to the winnings they received in the disputed game, and that they should be returned to the applicant.” - She said.