Star casino sues Singaporean high roller over USD 30.8 M debt

The Star Casino is suing a Singaporean high roller over an AUD 43 million (USD 30.87 million) debt he allegedly got into in seven days in one of the world's biggest-ever gambling debt recovery cases.

Wong Yew Choy is being sued by Star Gold Coast in Queensland after allegedly failing to settle his dues after a costly week playing cards, Daily Mail Australia reports. The 56-year-old man was invited to the casino by VIP marketing executive Teazel Yaw under the promise of visiting its VIP gaming rooms. He arrived on July 26 via the venue's private jet, before being gifted a stay in the penthouse with his entourage and AUD 100,000 of 'lucky money'.

He handed over a blank check in exchange for AUD 40 million in gambling chips, which he promptly lost playing baccarat. While the prolific gambler was granted access to an extra AUD 10 million, he blew most of it and finished his trip on August 2 with debts allegedly amounting to AUD 43,209,853, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.

The casino argued that Choy gave casino bosses permission to use a blank cheque he gave a sister branch in Sydney in 2017 to settle his dues, but the cheque bounced. Choy, who amassed his fortune gambling in the Philippines and the Isle of Man, has allegedly failed to repay any of the money and has ignored letters demanding repayments.

The casino first tried to recoup the money in a Singapore court in one of the world's biggest-ever gambling debt recovery cases, but the matter was thrown out. Choy's legal team argued that Star executive, Paul Arbuckle, promised him that any losses up to July 30, 2018, would be written off as 'mistakes' by casino dealers. 

The Singaporean High Court heard he was a 'high valued and respected patron of casinos around the world' and was frequently given incentives to play. The lawsuit has now been lodged in the Supreme Court in Brisbane and it will return to court, but there is no set date.