09:17
15 Mar
A long-time member of a London casino has claimed he was plied with strong alcohol on the night he lost £600,000 ($730,000) and is refusing to pay up…
Highroller Lester Hui is being chased by Crown London Aspinalls casino after a cheque he wrote for £589,724 ($718,632) to cover his overall losses bounced.
Aspinalls have taken the legal route after years of hoping that Hui would fork out what he owes, but the gambler isn’t giving up without a fight, claiming the casino got him “blackout drunk” and refusing to pay.
The lawsuit brought by Aspinalls Clubs Ltd. dates back to an evening in 2016, which saw Hui playing double chance baccarat at the Mayfair casino.
Hui went on to lose $600,000 but claims Aspinalls encouraged him to keep gambling, despite serving him Moutai – a Chinese liquor known as “firewater” – to the point where he was “legally incapable”.
Hui’s lawyers claim that casino staff “deliberately failed to intervene” claiming they allowed him to continue “so that through intoxication he would gamble large sums and so lose to the financial benefit of (Aspinall’s).”
They also claim that Hui had approached staff before his session and “stated that he was going to get drunk and wished to limit his losses to £30,000”.
Aspinall’s legal team have refuted that scenario in their lawsuit, alleging that Hui was even capable enough to drive himself home after his monster losing session.
Alexander Robson, for the casino, stated:
“If Mr Hui had made any such formal request to limit his gaming to a particular amount, the request would have been recorded and requested,” said the barrister. “Further, if Mr Hui had said he was going to get drunk, he would not have been permitted to play at all … It would expose the club to serious reputational harm. The club looks to build on its long-term reputation based on trust between the club and its clients,” and that CCTV from the night in question showed there were “no concerns” about Hui’s conduct.
Aspinall’s claim that Mr Hui’s cheque written on his departure from the club that night had bounced and that multiple efforts to secure payment had since failed, leading to the legal claim made in 2019.
The case continues at the High Court in London.
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