A high rolling gambler has sued Australian casino operator Crown Resorts over an alleged technological defect at one of their baccarat tables.
In March, Chinese gambler Yu Zhusheng went on a tear at Crown Melbourne’s VIP baccarat tables, losing $17m in a single week. But Yu claims that his final $300k wager revealed that something was rotten in the state of Victoria.
The casino’s Mahogany Room offers gamblers the means to review their wagering activity via an electronic monitor that displays the table’s “shoe history.” The monitor lists the cards that have come out of the dealer’s shoe and whether the gambler or the house won each individual hand. Some gamblers reportedly believe this knowledge offers them an opportunity to neutralize the built-in house edge.
In a lawsuit filed against Crown, Yu’s attorneys say their client noticed that the monitor had displayed the result of that $300k hand before the decisive card was dealt. Moreover, Yu maintains that the display incorrectly showed the house winning the hand in question, when in fact it was Yu who emerged triumphant (for once).
Yu’s attorneys argue that this technical glitch meant Crown was engaged in “conduct that was misleading or deceptive or likely to mislead and deceive” its players. Furthermore, they argue that, had Yu been aware that the display was wonky, “he would not have gambled at Crown Casino and lost that sum of money.” Crown’s attorneys have rejected allegations that it engaged in any improper activity.
A different baccarat whale told The Age that Yu’s claim was much ado about nothing, as the monitor was a “gimmick” that had no effect on the outcome of the game play. “If a couple of points were accidentally added to the scoreboard at a footy match, does that actually change who won? Of course not.”
Yu is hardly the first high roller to have cried foul in an attempt to reverse a spate of some truly bad luck. But given the Chinese government’s interest in its citizens’ gambling activity, perhaps Yu should have just taken his lumps rather than voluntarily putting his name on Beijing’s radar.
