Star Sydney Gambler Who Sued After Ban Has Case Tossed by Judge

Posted on: July 26, 2022, 11:34h. 

Last updated on: July 26, 2022, 01:16h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

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
Star Entertainment’s Star Sydney casino in New South Wales, Australia. The casino recently won a small victory when a lawsuit it faced was dismissed. (Image: The Guardian)

Star Sydney banned Nguyen, a beauty therapist, in April of last year. Initially, she didn’t challenge the casino’s decision. She later explained when she filed her lawsuit, she was dealing with family issues and COVID-19 at the time, and the lawsuit 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.

Nguyen then 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.

No Dice on Ban Removal

In addition to removing the ban, Nguyen hoped 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. It would also have allowed her to return to the gaming floor to try to win back the money she lost.

However, 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 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, 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 misconduct charges led to Star’s stock losing over AU$1 billion (US$693.8 million). As a result, shareholders aren’t happy and want compensation. Star’s stock is currently trading at AU$2.99 (US$2.07), about two-thirds of what it was in October of last year.