Taylor, K.E. & Anor v Lotteries Commission [1987] FCA 409
Federal Court of Australia
Full text
Select any passage to save a personal note with optional tags.
CATCHWORDS
TRADE PRACTICES - Consumer protection - Game of lotto - Coupon
not validated in time for inclusion in draw - Coupon marked to
select six winning numbers - Advertisements as to closing time of
game - Whether advertisements misleading or deceptive or likely
to mislead or deceive - Measure of damages - Loss of a chance.
°
Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth), s.52
Lotteries (Control) Act 1954 (W.A.), s.4(1)
Lotto Act 1981 (W.A.)
KERRY ELAINE TAYLOR & ANOR v. LOTTERIES COMMISSION
No. WA G 55 of 1985
Neaves J.
29 July 1987
Canberra
IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA
)
)
WESTERN AUSTRALIA DISTRICT REGISTRY ) No. WA G 55 of 1985
)
)
GENERAL DIVISION
BETWEEN : KERRY ELAINE TAYLOR and
VERNON BARRY TAYLOR
Applicants
AND: LOTTERIES COMMISSION
Respondent
MINUTE OF ORDER
JUDGE MAKING ORDER : Neaves J.
DATE OF ORDER : 29 July 1987
WHERE MADE : Canberra
THE COURT ORDERS THAT:
1. The application be dismissed.
2. The applicants pay the respondent's costs of the
application.
Note: Settlement and entry of orders is dealt with in Order 36
of the Federal Court Rules.
ame eel ———
mere :
oer seb
IN THE FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA
WESTERN AUSTRALIA DISTRICT REGISTRY No. WA G 55 of 1985
wee ww
GENERAL DIVISION
BETWEEN : KERRY ELAINE TAYLOR and
VERNON BARRY TAYLOR
Applicants
AND: LOTTERIES COMMISSION
Respondent
CORAM: Neaves J.
DATE: 29 July 1987
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT
The game of lotto, as conducted in Western Australia
in May 1984 by the Lotteries Commission ("the Commission")
pursuant to the Lotto Act 1981 (W.A.) ("the Lotto Act"),
provides the setting for this claim for damages under the Trade
Practices Act 1974 (Cth) ("the Trade Practices Act"). The
claim is brought by Kerry Elaine Taylor and her husband, Vernon
Barry Taylor, ("the applicants") and is based on an allegation
that the Commission, in trade or commerce, engaged in conduct
that was misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead or
deceive contrary to s.52 of the Trade Practices Act. The
applicants claim that, by reason of that conduct on the part of
the Commission, they were denied the opportunity to havea
lotto coupon which had been prepared by Mrs Taylor on the
morning of Thursday, 24 May 1984, included in those entitled to
participate in the draw which took place on the night of
ere
ear cS oan
' Mey '
en
yw
a ee
_
Vee
a en
ae
wy gt crs tere cae,
- - TOTTI npr rg
2.
Saturday, 26 May 1984. The significance of being denied that
opportunity arises from the circumstance that the six numbers
selected in one of the ten games on the relevant coupon
corresponded with the winning numbers drawn on that night.
Before proceeding further, it is desirable to refer to
the relevant statutory provisions under which the game of lotto
was conducted in Western Australia at the relevant time. The
Commission is, and was in 1984, constituted by s.5 of the
Lotteries (Control) Act 1954 (W.A.) ("the Lotteries Act") as a
body corporate. By s.4(1) of the Lotto Act, the Commission was
authorised, subject to the Act, to conduct, promote, organize
and operate games of lotto in order to raise money for
charitable purposes as defined by the Lotteries Act. In the
Lotto Act, a reference to a game of lotto was a reference to a
form of game in which the subscribers to the game chose or
attempted to forecast or select, from a group of numbers, a
smaller group of numbers to be drawn on a random basis
(s.3(3)). "Subscriber", in relation to a game of lotto, was
defined to mean the person whose name appeared on the face of
an entry in the space provided for the purpose (s.3(1)).
"Entry form", in relation to a game of lotto, was defined to
mean the entry form or coupon required by the rules to enable a
person to enter or subscribe to the game of lotto (s.3(1)).
For the purposes of conducting games of lotto, the
Commission was empowered, with the approval of the Minister, to
make arrangements with certain authorities of the other States
and Territories of the Commonwealth for the joint conduct with
paw any cee een wen
Se eee
ra
eye eee
ver . '
3.
those authorities of games of lotto and to conduct games of
lotto jointly with those authorities (s.4(2)). Games of lotto
were, in May 1984, conducted on a nation-wide basis pursuant to
arrangements of that kind.
By sub-s.4(3) the Commission was authorised to make
rules relating to the conduct by itself of games of lotto. In
evidence are the Lotto Rules revised April 1983 and these are
said to be the rules which were in force in May 1984. It will
become apparent, however, that in May 1984 the manner in which
lotto was conducted differed somewhat from what was set out in
the rules but nothing of significance turns on that in this
case.
For the purposes of the rules, lotto was described as
a numbers game in which the subscriber was required to forecast
or select six winning numbers from the numbers 1 to 40
inclusive (rules 1.2 and 2.3). Each lotto game was to be
identified by a number (rule 2.2). The rules and the
conditions on each lotto coupon were to apply to the drawing
and to be binding on all the subscribers (rule 2.5). The rules
were to be displayed at the office of the Commission, at any
branch offices and at the place of business of all accredited
agents. They might be made public by any other means (rule
2.6). An accredited agent was defined as a person authorised
to accept and validate lotto coupons for the purpose of
forwarding them to the Commission (rule 1.12). What was
described as an "ordinary coupon" was a form containing 8
numbered blocks (games) each consisting of 40 squares numbered
pars
eee age
oe
ee
'
ns
eee ae mcr ens
. . >
le iat ell allie belerete es
from 1 to 40 (rule 1.3). It is to be noted that the form of
coupon used at the relevant time did not comply with this rule.
The form used consisted of 10 such blocks. A subscriber was to
make his forecast by marking the numbers of his choice with an
"X" (rules 1.3 and 3.1). Each place of business at which
coupons were sold was to have a machine for validating coupons.
A coupon was validated by inserting the coupon in the machine
which marked the coupon with the agent's identification number,
the coupon number and the lotto game number (rule 1.8). Each
coupon comprised three parts. After the coupon had been
validated, the original part was to he forwarded to the
Commission, the second part retained by the agent and the third
part returned to the subscriber as evidence of his entry (rules
1.6 and 3.3). .
Rule 7.1 provided as follows:
"7.1 A Lotto coupon shall be accepted fora
particular drawing if it arrives at the
offices of the Commission within the
time set out in Rule 12 of these Rules
so as to enable amicrofilm of the
original part to be made prior to the
drawing of that particular Lotto. Once
accepted, the coupon cannot be altered
or withdrawn."
All coupons accepted for a particular drawing were to he
microfilmed under supervision and the microfilm delivered to
the State Auditor-General's representative prior to the draw
taking place (rule 7.2). A lotto coupon not completed and
forwarded in accordance with the rules, or not microfilmed
prior to the draw, was to be excluded from the drawing. A
a
ee
oes
waaay se
wet
owe pee +
tL rt ee eee
ny ee oe
eee
sot
coupon lodged with an agent which was not
head office of
subsequently received was to be placed in the next available
draw (rule 7.3)
"7. 6
the Commission by the time aforesaid but
- Rule 7.6 provided:
Acceptance of the Lotto coupon shall not
be deemed to have been effected until
the original part of the coupon has been
received at the head office of the
Commission within the time provided
under Rule 12 and clearly showing
complete details of the imprint of the
validating machine as provided in Rule
1.8."
Rule 12 was in the following terms:
"Time
12.1
12.2
12.3
Limits:
Lotto coupons shall reach the offices of
the Commission in sufficient time to
permit a microfilm of the original part
of the coupon to be made and complete
Csici such formalities as may be
required by the Auditor General's
representative prior to the drawing of
that particular Lotto.
Lotto coupons shall be delivered to the
office of the Commission by the
prescribed time which shall be
determined by the Commission from time
to time and announced through the normal
advertising and communication channels.
Subscribers mailing Lotto coupons
directly to the offices of the
Commission shall do so in accordance
with Rule 12.1."
received at the
~—
aint
-_
mer
core
The rules provided' (rule 1.9) for the drawing to be
made by the use of an electronically operated machine such
that it would randomly select numbers from the numbers 1 to
40 inclusive. The first six numbers drawn were referred to
ae
a a
6.
as the winning numbers (rule 8.1). In each lotto there were
to be five prize winning divisions identified by the numbers
1 to 5 inclusive (rule 8.2). It is only necessary to refer
for present purposes to the first of those divisions. The
prize pool was to be 60% of the subscriptions received for
each lotto and was to be distributed as to 30% to Division 1
(rule 9.1). To participate in the Division 1 prize pool, a
subscriber was required to have selected the six winning
numbers in one game (rule 8.2). Statistically his chance of
doing so was one in 3.8 million.
In 1984 the Commission operated its lotto business
through its own branch office in the basement of a
department store in Perth and through ~ a large number of
accredited agents throughout the State. The evidence was
that there were 275 such agents. The agents received from
members of the public lotto coupons together with the
subscriptions payable and validated the coupons in the
manner to which reference has already been made. The agent
was required, having balanced the coupons with the amount of
subscriptions received and having ensured that the coupons
were properly validated, to have the coupons delivered to
the Commission's head office in Perth. Agents were informed
by memorandum from the Commission that the validated coupons
for week-end lotto should reach the Commission's head office
by 11.00 a.m. (10.00 a.m. when so called daylight saving
time was operating in the eastern States) on the Friday
preceding the draw. In the case of some agencies,
particularly those in the metropolitan area of Perth, the
en tre
7H
7.
Commission in fact arranged to collect the coupons from the
agent by courier service early on each Friday morning. In
the case of other agencies, the agent delivered the coupons
to the Commission's office. The latter was the practice
followed by the South Perth Newsagency, an accredited agent
of the Commission, to which reference will hereafter be
made.
Mr William James Hartley, Acting Secretary of the
Commission, gave evidence that the time of 11.00 a.m. on
Friday was notified to the agents as the time for the
receipt of coupons on the basis that it would allow
sufficient time for all coupons received for the week-end
draw to be microfilmed and the requirements of the
Auditor-General to he satisfied prior to the draw. It is
apparent from his evidence, however, that validated coupons
received after that time would, if time permitted, be
microfilmed and allowed to participate in the draw.
Mr Hartley also said that it was a matter for each
agent, having regard to his obligation to have the coupons
validated by him delivered to the Commission in good time,
to determine for himself the time beyond which he would not
accept coupons for validation. Advertising material was
distributed by the Commission to its accredited agents. The
Material so distributed included a poster to the effect
"Lotto closes here ...." the agent being able to complete
the blank space by inserting the appropriate day and time.
wy
eens mee meee penn
tee ae me
net
8.
The expression "closing time" in relation to the
conduct of the game of week-end lotto appears to have been
used ina variety of senses. So far as the Commission
itself was concerned, the expression referred to the time at
which the microfilm of the participating coupons had been
prepared and delivered to the representative of the State
Auditor-General. That was the time at which each game of
lotto could properly be said to close. So far as an
accredited agent was concerned, it was the time before which
the validated coupons were to be delivered to the
Commission. So far as a subscriber to the game was
concerned, the reference was to the time up to which the
agent with which the subscriber proposed to deal would
accept coupons for validation. 'That time would be fixed by
the agent concerned. In country areas of the State it
would, of necessity, be earlier than in the case of agencies
in the metropolitan area of Perth so as to allow sufficient
time for the coupons to be delivered to the head office of
the Commission. But even within a particular part of the
metropolitan area, different agents might accept coupons up
to a different time. Thus, in the case of an agent who did
not trade ona Thursday night, the "closing" time might be
5.30 p.m. In the case of agents trading late on Thursday
night, the time might be 9.00 p.m. In the case of a very
limited number of agencies, at the most, so far as the
evidence goes, two or three, which were open twenty-four
hours a day, the "closing" time might be an early hour on
Friday morning. The Commission's own sub-branch in the
Perth city area to which reference has already been made was
ee .-
iran ' pny
t
ar ae oe
—-~———-
Te
a
ai
ata
9.
also prepared to validate coupons for the week-end draw from
the opening of business until 10.00 or 11.00 a.m. on a
Priday.
For some time prior to May 1984 the Commission had
conducted each week games of lotto known as week-end and
mid-week lotto and that practice continued during May 1984.
Week-end lotto was drawn on a Saturday night, mid-week lotto
on a Wednesday night. The Lotto Rules to which I have
referred make no reference to mid-week lotto but they were
subsequently amended to do so. The deficiencies in the
rules in this regard appear to be of no significance for
present purposes. The week-end and mid-week drawings of
lotto were identified by a single consecutive series of
numbers, the week-end draws being identified by an odd
number and the mid-week draws by an even number. The game
which was drawn on Saturday, 26 May 1984 was identified by
the number 297.
The draw conducted on 26 May 1984 resulted in the
six winning numbers being 1, 8, 20, 23, 33 and 34. The
total prize pool for that draw was $6,392,121.56, the
Division 1 prize pool amounting to $1,918,849.31. It
appears that there were, provisionally, seven coupons which
correctly selected those six winning numbers, a prize of
$274,121.33 being payable in respect of each of those
coupons. The evidence does not establish whether that
provisional situation was subsequently confirmed. If the
Division 1 prize pool had had to be distributed so as to
10.
take account of the coupon the subject of this proceeding, a
prize of $239,856.16 would have been payable in respect of
each of the eight winning coupons.
Both Mr and Mrs Taylor gave evidence. I accept
that for some considerable time prior to May 1984 they had
been subscribing to lotto as conducted by the Commission and
had done so on amore or less regular basis. They had so
subscribed since they went to reside at Collie in 1982 and
they continued to do so when they moved to an address in
South Perth in 1984, prior to May of that year.
During the period they resided at Collie, Mr Taylor
usually marked and lodged the coupons for lotto though it
was sometimes done by Mrs Taylor. For some period of time,
three coupons were marked, one in the name of Mr Taylor, one
in the name of Mrs Taylor and one in the name of their son,
Ryan Taylor. Mrs Taylor was apparently informed that, as
the son was a minor, a prize could not be paid to him and
the practice was thereafter followed of adding either Mr or
Mrs Taylor's name to the coupon intended to be for the
benefit of the son.
When the family came to Perth, the same procedure
as had been adopted at Collie continued. Sometimes Mr
Taylor marked and lodged the coupons. On other occasions
this was done by Mrs Taylor. Mr Taylor, in fact, marked and
lodged the coupons for the week-end draws on 31 March and 14
April 1984. Those coupons were validated at an agency known
—anqreny
Set aaaan sateen aimee sent
rr re ar a
ee
ll.
as "Fred's Lucky Lottery" at the Garden City Shopping Centre
in the suburb of Booragoon. However, Mr Taylor was away
from Perth - he was working at a camp near Argyle - during
part of April and for the whole of May 1984. Where Mr
Taylor was working there was no convenient agency at which
lotto coupons might be lodged for validation and, in
consequence, Mrs Taylor attended to the lodging of the
coupons in Perth. It was her habit, she said, to lodge the
coupons at the South Perth Newsagency, Mends Street, South
Perth and todo so ona "Thursday night (late shopping
night). She agreed that she visited the South Perth
Newsagency a number of times a week and said that, on
occasions, she may have lodged a lotto coupon on a day of
the week other than Thursday. She said 'that, at that time,
the family did not enter mid-week lotto.
Mrs Taylor maintained a file of the duplicate
copies of the lotto coupons lodged by herself or her
husband. She produced the duplicate copy of the coupon
lodged for each of the week-end draws between Saturday, 17
March 1984 (Draw 277) and Saturday, 19 May 1984 (inclusive)
with the exception of Saturday, 28 April 1984 (Draw 289). A
search conducted by the Commission of lotto coupons
delivered to it by the South Perth Newsagency and the agency
known as "Fred's Lucky Lottery" for the draw on 28 April
1984 was made without locating a coupon lodged by either Mr
or Mrs Taylor. Both Mr and Mrs Taylor said that they
believed they had entered lotto every week and neither could
offer an explanation why there was no coupon for that draw.
12.
It was put to Mrs Taylor in cross-examination that she had
forgotten to put in the coupon for draw 297, the draw here
in question just as, so it was suggested, she had forgotten
to put ina coupon for draw 289. Mrs Taylor denied the
suggestion.
Both Mr and Mrs Taylor said they understood that,
at Collie, lotto coupons had to be lodged with the local
agency by 3.00 p.m. (Mr Taylor) or 3.30 p.m. (Mrs Taylor) on
the Wednesday preceding the Saturday on which the draw was
to take place. At the South Perth Newsagency, the time was
9.00 p.m. on the Thursday preceding the draw. It may be
noted that Gregory Charles Armstrong, the manager of the
newsagency in May 1984, said that the closing time was 8.30
p.m. However, I shall accept for present purposes that it
was 9.00 p.m. Mr and Mrs Taylor said that they believed the
earlier closing time at the agency at Collie was referable
to the greater distance to be covered in having the coupons
delivered to the Commission's head office in sufficient time
to enable them to participate in the draw. Mrs Taylor said
that the information she had about the closing time at the
South Perth Newsagency had been obtained from the agency
itself and from the Commission's advertisements on
television and in the press. There is evidence that posters
were displayed at the South Perth Agency to the effect that
"Lotto closes here at 9 p.m. on Thursday".
In evidence are advertisements inserted by the
Lotteries Commission in the "Mid Week Times" newspaper. The
——
Be ee ore ey
' B
ate Fay
we
Pemeeeen pee pees =
13.
advertisements appeared in the issues of the newspaper
published on 2, 16, 23 and 30 May 1984. The advertisement
published on 2 May 1984 included the statement "Saturday
Lotto Draw 291 Closing Thursday". In the issue of 23 May
1984 the advertisement included the statement "Saturday
Lotto Draw 297 On sale now Closes Thursday". The
advertisement published on 30 May 1984 contained similar
wording except that it referred to Draw 299. The
advertisement published on 16 May 1984 contained no
reference to the closing date of Saturday Lotto. Mrs Taylor
said she had seen advertisements similar to those in
evidence but she was unable to identify any specific
advertisement she had seen. Mrs Taylor also said that, when
viewing the televised draw of week-end Iotto, she had heard
advertisements referring to week-end lotto closing on
Thursday or Thursday night.
I an satisfied on the evidence that for a
considerable time prior to May 1984 the advertisements used
by the Commission in the Perth metropolitan area on radio
and television and in the press stated that week-end Lotto
closed on Thursday or Thursday night and did not specify any
particular hour. It is true that for some time in 1981 the
advertisements used by the Commission in the Perth
metropolitan area did refer to the closing time as 9.00 p.m.
on the Thursday night preceding the draw but I am satisfied
that that had not been the form of advertising in use after
1981.
Poy ts were g age sey
ere
r
14.
It is convenient, at this point, to refer to the
events of Thursday, 24 May 1984. At that time Mrs Taylor
was employed as a part-time tutor at the Western Australian
Institute of Technology at Bentley, another suburb of Perth.
She normally worked a full day on Tuesday, half a day on
Wednesday and at other times on request from the Institute.
She was required to attend the Institute on Thursday, 24 May
1984, her expectation being that she would work from 8.30
p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Mrs Taylor's evidence was that she
completed a lotto coupon at home before leaving for her
place of employment intending to go shopping after work when
she would lodge the coupon for validating at the South Perth
Newsagency in accordance with her normal practice. Having
selected and marked six numbers in 'each of the games
contained on the coupon, she inserted in the space reserved
for the name and address of the subscriber the words and
figures "Barry and Ryan Taylor, 29 Hopetoun St., Sth.
Perth".
In the events which happened, Mrs Taylor was
required to work until approximately 11.00 p.m. on that day
without any break for an evening meal. In the expectation
that she would leave her place of employment at about 4.30
pem., she had taken no steps to lodge the lotto coupon
during the day. When she was required to work after that
time she became concerned about lodging the coupon. She
said that she was not aware of any agency in the vicinity of
the Institute where she might have lodged the coupon but
that, even if she had known of such an agency, it would have
a
> ' oO
Cope
se un-
RO renee re See ee pe ng et
ran ' t . . > '
- t an) * an
wpe es
15.
been of no assistance to her as she was unable to leave her
employment at any time between 4.30 p.m. and 11.00 p.m. on
that day. She further said that her understanding was that
the closing time for the Saturday draw of lotto was 9.00
p.m. on Thursday night. She made no enquiries whether the
coupon could be validated at a later hour on the Thursday or
on the Friday and she took no steps to validate it.
Subsequently she made enquiries in that regard and
ascertained that a few agencies were open later than 9.00
p.m. ona Thursday and that one ina nearby suburb of
Victoria Park was open for business 24 hours a day. The
crucial question, of course, is not whether that agency was
open after 9.00 p.m. on a Thursday but whether it would
after that time accept for validatidn coupons for the
Saturday draw. The evidence establishes that it would do
so. It may be inferred that it would have done so on
Thursday, 24 May 1984. Mrs Taylor said that, had she been
aware that the agency at Victoria Park was open, she would
have called there on her way home from her employment late
on the Thursday night and validated the coupon.
IT accept that it was Mrs Taylor's belief that, in
order to have a coupon participate in the week-end draw, the
coupon had to be validated by 9.00 p.m. on the Thursday
preceding the draw. This is reflected in her evidence that
once 9.00 p.m. came on Thursday, 24 May 1984, she gave up
any idea of validating the coupon she had completed that
morning. Her case is that she was led to that belief by the
conduct of the Commission in advertising on television and
weet eee
trie mane re er ee es
an am Plone an
Ponte eens one
ween eee en
. 2 . onan
ae ne ce eens
see ee rs ee ne oe
ero te
wee
16.
in the press the closing time of week-end lotto, conduct
which is alleged to be misleading or deceptive or likely to
Mislead or deceive.
There was nothing misleading or desceptive in the
advertising material displayed at the South Perth
Newsagency. That material stated correctly that the closing
time for week-end lotto at that agency was 9.00 p.m. on
Thursday. It said mo more andno less. It gave no
information as to the closing times of other agencies. It
was not its concern to do so.
The question then is whether the advertisements
published on hbehaif of the Commission in the metropolitan
area of Perth on television and in the press were misleading
or deceptive or likely to misiead or deceive. I have
already said that those advertisements relevantly were
confined to a statement to the effect that week-end lotto
closed on Thursday or on Thursday night. The references in
the advertisements to lotto "closing" were clearly
references to the situation obtaining at the agencies where
intending subscribers might validate their coupons.
The only respect in which the advertisements are
said to be misleading or defective or to be likely to
mislead or deceive is in their failure to state that the
Commission's branch office and the two or three agencies
which would do so would receive and validate coupons for the
week-end draw for a period on the Friday morning preceding
oe
eaanaem etal
wr a.tf
fi
me A ore,
or :
, tee
ome ee
aye eee
woe
17.
the draw. The advertisements could not be said to be
misleading or deceptive in so far as those two or three
agencies would receive and validate coupons up to midnight
on the Thursday night. On the other hand, to have
advertised, as the applicants suggested, that week-end lotto
closed at 11.00 a.m. on Friday would clearly have been
misleading. To have done so may well have resulted in many
intending subscribers presenting their coupons at their
local agency on Friday morning only to be told that, so far
as that agency was concerned, week-end lotto had closed the
previous day.
The content of the advertisements must, I think, be
looked at ina practical way. The Commission was concerned
to have members of the public become subscribers to lotto
and to exhort those who were already subscribers to continue
to be such. The latter were enjoined to continue to
subscribe lest they suffer the same experience as Mr and Mrs
Taylor. The advertisements, in speaking of the closing
time, were clearly intending to convey a general message to
those to whom the advertisements were addressed. It would
not be reasonable to expect the closing time at each
individual agency to be stated. It would be equally unreal
to say that, because it was not practicable to state the
closing time at each agency, no reference should have been
made at all to a closing time.
Looking at the matter in its context, I am not
satisfied that to advertise in the manner complained of by
"4
on
a
ise pragae,
18.
the applicants was to engage in conduct that was misleading
or deceptive or likely to mislead or deceive andso in
contravention of s.52 of the Trade Practices Act.
I am also not satisfied on the evidence that Mrs
Taylor's failure to have the coupon validated in time was
due to her reliance upon the advertisements. Her evidence
was that, had she been aware that the agency at Victoria
Park was open, she would have called there on her way home
from her employment late on the Thursday night. The real
cause of her failing to have the coupon validated was her
ignorance of the circumstance that the agency at Victoria
Park was prepared to receive and validate coupons up to
midnight on the Thursday night and beyond. I am unable to
conclude that her ignorance in that regard was due in any
way to the content of the advertising material published on
behalf of the Commission.
Had I reached a different conclusion upon the
matters referred to above, a further difficulty would have
stood in the way of the applicants. Clearly Mrs Taylor
suffered no damage herself - she was not named as a
subscriber on the coupon. Further, it would appear, on the
evidence, that the coupon was intended to be for the benefit
of Mr and Mrs Taylor's infant son but he is not joined asa
party. Whether, in those circumstances, Mr Taylor could
establish damage entitling him to an award is an open
question which I need not now address.
sree mene aye eg ey er
. wo ' ' . oo
te en oe ns
in ams mite waht
os
19.
In the light of the conclusion to which [I have
come, it is umnecessary to consider the measure of damages
in a case such as this. I should, however, say that, in my
view, the damages would not reflect the share of the
Division 1 prize pool to which the coupon would have
entitled the subscriber had it been included in the draw.
Rather, the quantum of damages awarded would reflect the
loss of the chance (statistically one in 3.8 million) to
participate in the draw.
Lest it be thought that the matter has been
overlooked, I should add that it was not disputed at the
hearing that the Commission was a trading corporation or
that, in conducting the game of lotto, it was engaged in
trade or commerce.
In the result, the application is dismissed. The
applicants must pay the Commission's costs of the
application.
I certify that this and
the preceding 18 pages are
a true copy of the Reasons
for Judgment herein of the
Honourable Mr Justice
Neaves.
Associate
Dated: 29 July 1987
= ee
wey eye
mater ee
rear ?
v= I ee = me,
Counsel for the applicants
Solicitors for the applicants
Counsel for the respondents
Solicitors for the respondents
Dates of hearing
20.
Mr D.R. Clyne
Paternoster & Chan
Mr R.E. Birmingham
Kennedy & Hyman
18, 19 May 1987
OTS ere mt
pe ee Se wee =
H rect ro TT aT ae oad : :