In a rare victory for the troubled Star Entertainment Group, the Brisbane Supreme Court has ruled that a Singaporean man, who accumulated gambling debts exceeding AU$38 million (US$25 million) at The Star Gold Coast, must repay the amount.
Justice Melanie Hindman dismissed claims made by Dr. Yew Choy Wong, who argued that Star had agreed to waive the debt due to errors made by a baccarat dealer during some of his sessions. Star Entertainment denied making any such agreement.
This decision follows Star’s previous unsuccessful attempt to enforce the debt in Singapore, where the Singapore International Commercial Court ruled in 2020 that the country’s Civil Law Act prohibits the enforcement of gambling debts incurred in foreign jurisdictions. Despite Dr. Wong’s objections that pursuing the claim in Australia was an abuse of process, the Queensland Supreme Court granted Star permission to pursue damages.
The case, described as the largest casino debt ever filed in a Singapore court, centers on money lost by Dr. Wong at The Star Gold Coast’s VIP tables in 2018. Dr. Wong claimed that a senior casino executive, Paul Arbuckle, assured him he would not be responsible for losses up to July 29, 2018, due to dealer mistakes, nor for any future losses if further errors occurred. After another mistake on August 1, Wong said he immediately stopped playing.
The nature of the loan extended by The Star Gold Coast to Dr. Wong was also contested. Star argued that Wong requested and was granted a check cashing facility for AU$40 million, later increased by another AU$10 million. Wong, however, denied making such a request, claiming instead that the AU$40 million was offered as credit.
Wong had provided Star with a blank check, which the casino later completed, only to discover that Wong had canceled it after returning to Singapore.
Justice Hindman noted in her ruling that a letter sent by Star to Dr. Wong apologizing for not following his preferences at the baccarat table did not mention forgiving the debt, and his claims were unsupported by any other evidence presented at trial.
“The Star Gold Coast has made out its claim for recovery of the … moneys as loans, and Dr Wong has not made out any pleaded defence to that claim,” she wrote. “I will enter judgment for The Star Coast with interest and costs,” she said.
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