Kim Nguyen won’t have an opportunity to win back the money she blew at Australia’s Star Sydney casino. She sued the Star Entertainment property in an attempt to have it lift a ban it placed on her, but a judge has thrown out the case.
Star Sydney banned Nguyen, a beauty therapist, in April of last year. At first, she did not go on the offensive or challenge the casino’s decision. But, as she later explained, when she filed her lawsuit, she was dealing with family issues and COVID-19 at the time, and it didn’t seem like a priority.
However, Nguyen ultimately decided to attack since the ban was keeping her from being able to work as a travel host at the casino. Why she wanted to work there following her ban will always be a mystery.
No Dice on Ban Removal
When she realized how the ban was impacting her, Nguyen filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of New South Wales. She hoped to force Star Sydney to lift the ban and allow her back on the gaming floor.
Nguyen alleged in her suit that the casino withdrew her VIP membership and implemented the ban with no explanation. She also accused it of making false statements to the police to support its decision.
In addition to the removal of the ban, Nguyen was hoping for a way to recover the AU$950,000 (US$659,600) she lost at the casino. This was on top of money belonging to her that she claimed Star Sydney kept. In her lawsuit, she stated that she had AU$2,500 (US$1,740) in VIP credit at the time of the ban, which the casino confiscated.
Removing the ban would have opened the possibility that she could work as a travel host. In addition, it would have given her an opportunity to return to the gaming floor to try to win back the money she lost.
However, she’s not going to have that opportunity. A judge dismissed her suit this past Monday, explaining that Nguyen had no legal grounds to demand the lifting of the ban. The judge also stated that bans such as this one don’t fall under the purview of the courts.
While that verdict alone would be enough to disappoint her, Nguyen is now also stuck paying Star Sydney’s legal costs. There’s no indication of how much that may be.
Only a Minor Victory
Star emerged relatively unscathed from this lawsuit, but it is still dealing with another, much larger and potentially damning attack. In that suit, which began several months ago, shareholders are going after the company for suspected money laundering and organized crime.
New South Wales recently completed its inquiry into Star’s activity in the state. It found gross examples of negligence and mismanagement on various levels. Although the final verdict of the inquiry won’t be known until next month, initial indications are that the company is possibly looking at a suspension of its license.
The charges of misconduct led to Star’s stock losing over AU$1 billion (US$693.8 million). As a result, shareholders aren’t happy and want compensation. Currently, Star’s stock is trading at AU$2.99 (US$2.07), about two-thirds of what it was in October of last year.
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