Crown casino took unfair advantage of high-roller millionaire Harry Kakavas, leading him into bankruptcy, the Court of Appeal heard.
In another development in the Kakavas saga, the gambling addict has appealed against a ruling by Justice David Harper, who denied Mr Kakavas’s $35 million lawsuit against Crown casino, saying his gambling addiction had not disadvantaged him in his dealings with the casino.
Kakavas, a Gold Coast property developer, has been diagnosed as a pathological gambler. His lawyer, Allan Myers QC, said his client could not be truly responsible for his own actions when he lost $30 million at Crown between June 2005 and August 2006. Kakavas reportedly turned $1.5 billion on Crown’s baccarat tables during the period, betting up to $300,000 a hand.
Kakavas claimed that he had previously excluded himself from every casino around the country in an attempt to curb his expensive habits. However, he told the court that he was lured to his 14-month long gambling binge by Crown’s siren call of cash incentives, the use of a luxury jet and penthouse accommodation. When Kakavas threatened to exclude himself from Crown again in September 2005, it was claimed that Crown’s chief operating officer, John Williams, put $50,000 in Kakavas’s account to change his mind.
The debacle has called into question Crown casino’s self-proclaimed status as a leader in responsible gambling. Mr Myers said under the Gambling Regulation Act, people who self-excluded themselves or who have been excluded by any other means should not be allowed to enter or remain in a casino, and that it did not matter whether or not the gambler could afford to lose the money.