A high-roller staying at The Star on the Gold Coast is suing the venue over $3.8 million he lost in a matter of hours while inebriated.
Shakeel Latimer, now aged 40 years, resides in the Sydney suburb of Catherine Field, near Narellan. He is a shareholder in SDR Civil P/L and former shareholder in corporations including Infinity Investment & Holding P/L and Pacific Island Tours Group P/L.
Latimer claims he lost millions gambling in around five hours at The Star, in Broadbeach, in the early hours of 19 January 2023.
The banker had been staying at The Star for the past 11 days, and had arranged with staff that under “no circumstances” was he to be allowed to cash cheques totalling $3.8 million issued by the casino on 14, 15 and 17 January, which were prior winnings. It has not been disclosed how much he had won or lost before then.
“The plaintiff instructed the issue of the cheques rather than his usual practice of bank transfer so that by his instructions to employees he would not later be able to cash the cheques and lose these funds,” states a claim filed in the Supreme Court in Brisbane in December.
According to Latimer, he drank “a significant quantity” on a cruise on the evening of the 18th and continued drinking for some time in his hotel room. He then went to the casino around 1am.
The claim suggests he was “significantly intoxicated and impaired” when he arrived at the casino to gamble, and that this was – or at least should have been – apparent to staff on the gaming room floor.
His claim says he began to sober up and regain composure around 6.30am, on the morning of the 19th, and it was only then that he realised he had cashed the cheques for gambling chips. He states he tested his BAC (blood alcohol concentration) at 7.32am and returned a reading of 0.312, but does not specify if he continued drinking in the previous hour.
The claim alleges diminished capacity, that casino staff acted in an “unconscionable” manner by allowing him to gamble in the condition he was in.
Star Entertainment has not filed a defence, and a date has not yet been set for a hearing.
