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Mystery ATM dispenses cash, and then some

Londoners might have thought it was a malfunction when they received extra cash, but there was a method to the 'mad money.'

September 19, 2014

First, the "Super Rich" ATM appeared out of nowhere on the main street of Tooting in southwest London. Next, it began doling out extra cash to gob-smacked customers — who, naturally, sent out the word to friends about the "malfunctioning" ATM in Tooting.

Eventually, the London-based gambling exchange Betfair revealed on its blog that the Super Rich ATM was not broken but, in fact, was a promotional stunt by the company:

We set up the 'Super Rich' cash machine in celebration of the innovative Price Rush product, where a Sportsbook bet is boosted to a better price on the Exchange using cutting edge technology.

Price Rush (an anagram of 'super rich') is boosting prices for customers every day. On Wednesday night, 77 percent of all in-play correct score bets on the Sportsbook were 'rushed.'

The machine — which has given away more than 10,000 pounds ($16,287) in cash to unsuspecting customers — didn't ask for a PIN number or take details from customers' cards but, aside from that, the on-screen process was identical to genuine cash machines, Betfair said.

"The odds on getting more money than you expected at a cash machine are pretty slim but yesterday our Super Rich cash machines price-rushed transactions, giving some users much more money than they requested," said Andy Holmes, Betfair brand product manager.

The following video Betfair captures the reactions of some very happy "off-us" ATM users: