Casino keeps banned gambler's winnings

Published Jan 20, 2013

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A Johannesburg casino confiscated a banned gambler's winnings and charged him with trespassing after he hit a jackpot, a weekend newspaper reported.

Businessman Mahesh Kalidas, 53, voluntarily had himself banned from all casinos in the country last year, but continued to gamble, the Sunday Times reported.

Kalidas claimed that Montecasino allowed him to withdraw money, and to spend nearly R40,000 on slot machines, but confiscated his R129,000 winnings when he hit the jackpot on October 31, 2012.

“Casinos are happy to allow banned gamblers back to lose, but the moment they win they are charged with trespassing and thrown out,” Kalidas said.

He was arrested and paid an admission-of-guilt fine at the Douglasdale police station.

Kalidas said he wanted a refund of the R200,000 he spent in the casino in February and October last year.

He said he had continued gambling after he agreed to be banned because he had “lost control”. - Sapa

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