Law firm Carter Capner Law is planning on taking legal action against P&O Cruises, the Daily Mail Australia has revealed. The investigation concerns the cruise line’s gambling operations, as last week, it was disclosed that passenger Shane Dixon jumped overboard after a session at the ship’s casino venue left him with AU$4,000 in gambling debt.
The circumstances surrounding Mr Dixon’s death prompted the CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform, Carol Bennett, to express doubts about whether the cruising company has sufficient responsible gambling measures in place, and other passengers have reached out to the Daily Mail to come forward with their own accusations.
One of the major allegations against the cruise line was made by a friend of Mr Dixon’s, James, who was reportedly told that self-exclusion was “not an option” aboard the ship. Like Mr Dixon, James had found himself incurring debt by wagering during the trip. When speaking with the Daily Mail, he said his own casino losses had amounted to AU$2,000.
Although he had managed to win back most of the aforementioned sum, he eventually requested for staff to disable his room key, but was denied as the cashier claimed they “didn’t know how” to do that nor were they sure it was even possible. This contradicts P&O’s assurance that this self-exclusion measure is supposed to be accessible to all passengers.
Accusations of Illegal Detaining of Guests Have Surfaced
Jason, another passenger, came forward with claims that earlier this month, a P&O trip had ended with him being kept on the ship and interrogated over casino debt. He described how he had been allowed to wager despite his debit card’s balance being completely depleted, as casino expenses are charged in the form of bills tied to the client’s rooms. On the last day of his trip, he sought advice from cruise staff on how to handle the situation, as he did not have the funds to pay off his debt. Jason was told he had to find a way to get a loan. That was impossible for him at the time, however.
The following morning, the crew attempted to force him to pay the sum and told Jason neither he nor his relatives would be permitted to disembark until his debt was paid. This happened while the ship was docked. It took several hours of interrogation and Jason threatening to jump and swim to the shore for crew members to present him with a letter that, through his signature, obligated him to pay the money by a given deadline. Then, finally, he was let go.
His account, as well as that of James, are just two of the multiple horrible experiences tied to gambling that passengers claim to have had aboard P&O cruise ships.
Peter Carter, Director of Carter Capner Law, criticised P&O Cruises for the way its casinos appear to be run, as well as the company’s general approach toward gambling. According to him, the tactics of providing clients with complimentary alcohol, offering free cruises as rewards for gambling, and enabling automatic credit are all “examples of egregious conduct.”
He continued, claiming that the above-described practice of stopping passengers from leaving a docked vessel is illegal in Australia. In cases where debt is involved, “a cruise line must allow a passenger to leave and follow up any debt through a court if necessary,” he stressed. Mr Carter added that affected passengers could be compensated following the investigation.
- Author
Daniel Williams
