£7 million Christmas present that never was.

Novelty bets can be good fun and in December one of the more popular bets is on a white Christmas but spare a thought for Cliff Bryant, a graphic Designer from Southampton who thought he had won more than £7 million in two accumulator bets only to be told he had won just £31. Mr Bryant placed two £5 accumulator bets on cities in England having a white Christmas; the first on 13 cities in the North and East from Newcastle upon Tyne down to Derby and the second on 11 cities in the North West from Carlisle down to Crewe and Telford; according to rival bookmaker Paddy Power the first bet would have paid out just under £5 million and the second just over £2 million but the bookmaker Ladbrokes refused to pay out saying that accumulator bets were not permissible. Mr Bryant was ecstatic on finding out that all 24 cities were winning bets but less impressed when he tried to collect his winnings; he said “It’s a disgrace because the rules are not clear-the staff in the shops don’t even know the rules” referring to the fact that the betting shop allowed him to make the bet.

“This is a genuine mistake, and if I make a mistake in my work like that it costs me dearly and I think the offer should be a lot more generous than they have made. They are one of the leading bookmakers in the country and I think they ought to do their homework a bit better in the future.” A spokesman from Ladbrokes said “We have apologised to the customer for any confusion and for mistakenly accepting an accumulator bet. We are happy to void the bet and to pay the customer his winnings on the relevant singles”

The case has been referred to the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (IBAS) but general opinion is that Mr Bryant is unlikely to see any of his millions.