Went back to gambling after it almost killed him
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A Canada man is in the midst of a lawsuit against Caesars Windsor and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLC) stemming from $342,000 in gambling losses dating back to October 2013.
Tarwinder Shokar claims that both the casino and OLC should have known he had gambling and alcohol addictions; he had previously been banned from other casinos for drunk and disorderly behavior.
Shokar had previously attempted suicide after a losing night at a casino
Initially reported by the Windsor Star, Shokar had previously attempted suicide after a losing night at a casino by throwing himself in front of a truck. After recovering from his injuries and receiving an insurance settlement, he went back to gambling.
Though the suit was filed six years ago, Justice Bruce Thomas recently approved the transfer of the case from Brampton to Windsor.
VIP host wined and dined him
The gambling events at the heart of the suit took place in October 2013. A casino tour company set Shokar up with a trip to Caesars Windsor, where he took a $55,000 bank draft on October 17 and, naturally, was treated like a VIP.
He bought $25,000 in chips at the outset and after an hour of roulette, was taken for a steak dinner by the VIP host. After dinner, the host accompanied him back to the casino floor. Shokar took another $25,000 out of his account.
Shokar took a cab home and then returned to the casino the next morning, even though he had booked a room. In total, he lost $92,000 at Caesars Windsor that morning and previous night.
He later deposited two more $75,000 bank drafts, eventually losing it all. All told for the two trips, Shokar lost $342,000. In addition to trying to recover his money, Shokar is also seeking $500,000 in punitive damages.
Defense blames casino, casino blames Shokar
Iain MacKinnon, Shokar’s attorney, argues that Caesars Windsor knew Shokar should not have been gambling, but happily did whatever they could to help him do so.
Part of the casino’s efforts to get Shokar to drop large sums of money was to allegedly ply him with alcohol. Caesars Windsor also paid for about $800 in taxi rides and had a special gaming table ready for Shokar when he returned.
Shokar was “mentally incompetent” to gamble and therefore the casino was “unjustly enriched,” the defense argues.
“They did everything they could for him to gamble as much as possible,” said MacKinnon.
Caesars Windsor also paid for about $800 in taxi rides and had a special gaming table ready for Shokar
The casino’s legal team says that Shokar knew what he was doing and his gambling was solely his decision.
“Each time he made a wager, he chose the amount of money he wanted to wager in full knowledge of the risks associated with that wager,” the defense lawyers say in their defense statement.
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“Any losses Mr. Shokar may have suffered are not recoverable in law.” they added, “As an admitted problem gambler, Mr. Shokar was also negligent in coming to Caesars Windsor in the first place.”
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Mr. MacKinnon does not expect a trial until late 2020.