The legal challenge of a banned gambler who sued the Sydney casino of Star Entertainment after losing a staggering amount of AU$950,000 in an attempt to retrieve the money, had her claims rejected by the court.
Beauty therapist Kim Nguyen, who took the Star Entertainment to court under the accusations of suspending her from the Sydney casino of the brand in April 2021, ending her membership with the company for no reason, and making misleading statements, had her case thrown out and was unable to win back the money she once lost.
According to the plaintiff’s claims, the woman received a verbal 1-year ban without an end date in April 2021. She did not dispute the suspension at the time because of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak and some family issues she had then but now claims that the ban prevented her from starting a job as a travel host at The Star Sydney. That is why Ms Nguyen decided to launch legal action in the New South Wales (NSW) Supreme Court, asking it to overturn the ban.
Apart from seeking the casino owners to recover the losses she amassed in the gambling property – which amounted to about AU$950,000 – the plaintiff also alleged the operator in not refunding her in full for a credit worth AU$2,500 that she had in her account at the time when her membership was ended by the venue.
Ms Nguyen had no legal representative in court but her partner spoke on her behalf.
No Viable Cause for Legal Action Found by the NSW Supreme Court
The beginning of the week saw Associate Justice Joanne Harrison explain that the beauty therapist was advised several times that she did not have a viable cause of action. Ms Harrison also noted that Ms Nguyen was informed that she had the right to seek professional legal advice on the matter but she preferred not to do so.
In their ruling, the NSW Supreme Court judge said that, under the existing legislative provisions, the court was prohibited from granting relief linked to an exclusion order. The judge decided not to exercise her discretion to provide the plaintiff with another opportunity to once again table her statement of claim as no viable cause of action was found.
Ms Nguyen has been suing Star Entertainment to dismiss or stay the case. The gambling operator, however, did not see her claims the way she saw them, so it wanted the court to dismiss the legal action or, at least, to receive compensation for the legal expenses it made over the lawsuit.
As a result, Ms Nguyen’s case was eventually dismissed. In her unsuccessful court action, the beauty therapist not only had not managed to retrieve her losses from the Star Sydney casino but will now also have to pay the legal costs made by The Star Entertainment over the legal action.
- Author
Olivia Cole
