Vic: Pathological gambler allowed to bet $300,000 hands
18 May 2009 7:29 PM
A court has heard Melbourne's Crown Casino allowed a pathological gambler to place bets of 300 thousand dollars at a time on his way to losing 30 million dollars.
Gold Coast property developer HARRY KAKAVAS says he was banned from interstate casinos and should have been prohibited from betting at Crown Casino which instead allowed him to place bets totalling 1.5 billion dollars in a year.
Mr KAKAVAS is suing Crown for the money he lost during his gambling.
The court heard Mr KAKAVAS had previously imposed a ban on himself at Crown and was banned from other Australian casinos .. including Sydney's Star City and Jupiters on the Gold Coast .. when he placed the bets in 2005 and 2006.
His lawyer ALLEN MYERS QC said Crown knew the interstate bans prohibited him from playing at the venue but didn't give a monkey's about them.
He says instead private jets were sent to the Gold Coast on at least 14 occasions to take Mr KAKAVAS to Crown.
But Crown's lawyer NEIL YOUNG said Mr KAKAVAS was not a problem gambler when he willingly returned to the venue.
Mr KAKAVAS is being counter-sued for one million dollars Crown claims is owed to them.
The trial before Justice DAVID HARPER continues tomorrow.
