Perth man’s 10-year-old grandson racks up £3,300 gambling bill on Bet365 website

A grandfather has hit out at gambling firm bosses after his autistic grandson was able to rack up a £3,300 bill.

Rick Powell believes the 10-year-old managed to hack into his computer and thought he was playing a computer game.

The boy, who we are not naming, lost the money on a series of horse races and the firm took the money straight from Rick’s account.

Bosses of the firm involved, Bet365, is refusing to refund the cash, which was lost over the space of just 90 minutes.

Rick, who lives in Perth, is now calling for tighter controls on such sites.

“He most likely thought it was a computer game,” the 68-year-old said.

“We only discovered what had happened when we noticed the huge sum taken from my bank account. I was stunned and had to look twice at the amount.

“My grandson is very bright but like most children with autism he has little concept of reality or the consequences of his actions”.

A spokesman for Bet365 said they take “matters like this very seriously” but said the family would not be getting a refund.

“I must stress that it is our final decision,” a spokesman said.