A Ladbrokes customer has launched a High Court action accusing the betting giant of failing to stop his problem gambling less than a fortnight after the bookie’s parent company, Entain, was hit by a record fine for breaches of safe betting rules.

Simon Rose accuses Ladbrokes of allowing him to lose £231,000 over seven months on bets reaching a total of £1.8 million. Rose bet an average of £18,000 on the days he gambled despite take-home pay of just £3,000 a month, and was given a daily deposit limit of £20,000.

Rose, who placed his bets in the UK and the United Arab Emirates, has launched a High Court claim against Ladbrokes, accusing it of breaching its licence by failing to carry out any effective