Mr Viral
Relatives of a problem gambler who took his own life raised a complaint with the gambling regulator in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission. Subsequently, the regulatory body enforced a fine of more than a million dollars against an operator who breached the territory’s gambling regulations.
Problem Gambler Loses Thousands of Dollars, Takes Own Life
That’s the case of Raimo Kasurinen, a man who died by suicide on March 31, 2020. The man, together with his wife were both addicted to gambling. Before the man’s suicide, the couple spent thousands of dollars gambling at the Hellenic Club of Canberra. In the end, problem gambling prevailed and led to the death of Kasurinen. Due to their excessive gambling, the couple was in debt too.
After the death of Kasurinen, David Chambers, the man’s son-in-law, filed a complaint with the ACT’s Gambling and Racing Commission. In his complaint, the relative of the deceased problem gambler claimed that the Hellenic Club of Canberra breached its duty of care after failing to protect Kasurinen.
In a recent interview for ABC News, Chambers deemed his late father-in-law as a “hard-working man.” The relative said that his father-in-law worked seven days a week. Chambers pointed to records from the Hellenic Club which revealed that Kasurinen, together with his spouse, gambled away a sum north of AU$345,000 ($214,800) between 2012 and 2020. However, Chambers claimed that in reality, the couple likely lost a significantly higher sum.
The Club Was Hit With a Regulatory Sanction, Files an Appeal
After Chambers addressed his concerns with the Gaming and Racing Commission, they informed him that in light of the case, they had “decided to take disciplinary action” against the Hellenic Club. Ultimately, this resulted in an investigation and a fine of AU$1.2 million ($747,200) by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission against the gambling venue.
The gambling regulator acknowledged that the club violated the established gambling laws by “not recording multiple problem gambling incidents in the problem gambling incidents register within three consecutive trading days after becoming aware of the incident.”
Chambers was also informed by the gambling regulator that the Hellenic Club permitted his relative to withdraw more than AU$200 ($125) from Eftpos facility on site on different occasions.
While the gambling watchdog has taken years to issue the fine, its decision was praised by the Alliance for Gambling Reform. Tim Costello, chief advocate Reverend for the Alliance spoke about reports revealing that 63 cents of every dollar spent on pokies comes from a person who is addicted to gambling. “Typically, nothing happens so that’s why in this case, something happened and it’s a significant fine … it is so refreshing,” he added.
The Hellenic Club recognized that it was “disappointed” with the fine imposed by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission. The club confirmed that it has already filed an appeal with the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, challenging the findings of the investigation of the gambling regulator. The Hellenic Club refrained from further comment, citing ongoing proceedings.
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