New Zealander Loses Jackpot to Casino Ban

Talk about a bad beat! Sothea Sinn, a 28-year-old man from New Zealand, was excited to win 60,000 New Zealand dollars (or $44,000 US) by winning the progressive jackpot on a Caribbean Stud Poker table at the Skycity Casino in Auckland.

However, his celebration soon turned to sorrow. Soon after his win, casino officials told him that they could not award him the jackpot. Even worse, the reason was one that Sinn created for himself. In 2004, Sinn and his girlfriend were both banned from the casino at his own request, because he felt that they were gambling too much.

Sinn came back to the casino under the belief that his ban had long since expired. However, it turned out that as part of the ban, Sinn had – according to the casino staff – agreed to undergo counseling for problem gambling before he would be allowed readmission. Because Sinn has not undergone such counseling, he was ineligible to play in the casino, they said.

"I was absolutely gutted," Sinn told The Dominion-Post newspaper.

According to several sources, local law would seem to side with the casino’s story. Even if the casino wanted to pay Sinn his winnings – and they very well might get more benefit from the positive press than holding on to what, in the grand scheme of things, is a modest jackpot payout for the casino – they probably cannot; due to the nature of the self-exclusion list that Sinn placed himself on, the casino is not legally allowed to pay Sinn his winnings.

That said, Sinn is not simply accepting the loss of his winnings without a fight. He has vowed to go to New Zealand’s gambling authorities for an investigation and ruling.

Self-exclusion lists at casinos – both live and online – are one of the most common forms of protection provided for problem gamblers. Once on a list, there is nothing a player can do to get off of the list until the term of the ban expires, which can range from several years to a lifetime ban. Casinos may also add additional requirements, such as counseling, before allowing the excluded gambler to return to the casino again.