Foreign High Roller Ordered by Australian Court to Repay Gambling Debt

After reviewing all the evidence, Justice Melanie Hindman stated that the defendant failed to prove the debt had been waived.

High Roller Ordered to Repay AUD 38 Million in Gambling Debt

The Supreme Court in Brisbane has ordered high roller Yew Choy Wong to repay approximately AUD 38 million to Star Entertainment Queensland, following the accumulation of a significant gambling debt.

Wong’s Refusal to Settle the Debt

In 2018, Wong was invited to the Star Gold Coast casino, where he accumulated an astonishing AUD 47.3 million in gambling losses over five days. However, he left the country without settling his account.

The casino attempted to use a check Wong had provided on a previous gambling visit, but Wong had already instructed his bank to stop payment on any checks from The Star Entertainment Group. Despite Star Gold Coast’s requests for him to repay the AUD 43.2 million, Wong ignored them, claiming a verbal agreement with the casino nullified the debt due to a dispute over how his baccarat cards were dealt.

Wong explained that his objection to the card dealing led him to stop playing, and on July 29, 2018, the casino’s president of international gambling offered him a rebate of AUD 4.5 million. Wong did not accept the offer. Instead, he claimed to have reached an agreement the next day with the casino’s chief operating officer, Paul Arbuckle, who allegedly assured him he would not have to pay his losses up to that date. Arbuckle later denied these claims.

Court Finds No Evidence of Debt Waiver

The court noted that Star Entertainment had sent Wong a letter apologizing for not accommodating his preferred style of play. However, this letter made no mention of waiving his gambling debt.

Justice Hindman concluded that if the casino had agreed to waive the debt, it would have been explicitly stated in the letter. With no proof to support Wong’s claims, the court ordered him to repay the outstanding amount with interest, calculated at a rate of $8,819 per day from September 27, 2018, until the date of the judgment.

Additional Troubles for The Star

Meanwhile, Star Entertainment continues to face difficulties. The company has been deemed unsuitable to hold a license in New South Wales and recently had its shares suspended from the ASX due to a missed deadline. Furthermore, reports indicate that even the opening of Queens Wharf Brisbane has not fully alleviated the company’s financial troubles.