A Singaporean individual faces the requirement to reimburse a substantial sum of money, worth tens of millions, to an Australian casino.
The Queensland Supreme Court determined on Monday that Yew Choy Wong owed the Star Gold Coast a significant sum, along with their legal fees and interest. Over a seven-day period from July 26 to August 2, 2018, Wong incurred losses totaling 47.3 million Australian dollars ($31.5 million) at the casino.
Wong apparently left the country without settling his debt, as mentioned in court records. In an attempt to recoup their losses, the casino utilized a blank check provided by Wong to its sister property, the Star Sydney, but the payment bounced after Wong instructed his bank not to honor any checks issued by the Star, as per the court judgment.
The casino then attempted to collect the outstanding debt in 2019 by filing a lawsuit against Wong in Singapore, but that case was dismissed the following year due to Singapore's laws predominantly disallowing the recovery of gambling debts.
According to documents from the Singaporean case, Wong frequently played baccarat at the Star's casinos, and his entourage of approximately 28 individuals was sponsored for travel and accommodations by the casino, who housed them in their private salons.
In the more recent trial, Wong contested that he was not responsible for paying the Star any money, claiming that he had voiced concerns about the casino's card dealers and subsequently stopped gambling.
Wong claimed that he resumed gambling following an agreement made with the Star's chief operating officer, Paul Arbuckle, who allegedly assured Wong that he would not have to cover previous losses and that the casino would waive any future losses if the dealers repeated their supposed errors.
However, Arbuckle denied making such an agreement, according to the judgment.
The Star Entertainment, which owns the Gold Coast casino, declined to comment on the case. CNN has sought comments from Wong's representatives.
In a court document, addressed to Wong and signed by Arbuckle, the COO apologized for the issues experienced by Wong during his visit, but noted that the mistakes made would not have resulted in any direct financial loss for Wong. The letter did not mention forgiving Wong's debt.
Additionally, the casino reportedly made generous goodwill payments to Wong following his complaints, as per the ruling.
Justice Melanie Hindman stated: "The agreement alleged by Dr Wong is not substantiated by the letter of apology or supported by any other evidence presented during the trial."
After facing legal issues in Australia, Wong decided to seek refuge in his home country in Asia, attempting to evade paying his substantial debt to the Star Gold Coast. Despite the casino's efforts to collect the debt globally, including filing a lawsuit in Singapore, international gambling laws hindered their ability to recover the money.
