SkyCity Adelaide sued by Chinese high-roller

A Chinese high-roller is suing SkyCity Adelaide for negligence, claiming that he is owed millions in casino winnings.

Australia.- SkyCity Adelaide is facing a lawsuit from a Chinese high-roller, Linong Ma, who claims the casino was negligent in transferring his winnings to a junket operator.

According to the lawsuit, Linong Ma hired junket operator Xiongming Xie and his partner Zhuangqian Fang, in order to visit SkyCity Adelaide on May 21, 2019.

Ma visited the casino accompanied by a woman, Mrs Goh, who was employed by Mr Xie. He withdrew A$400,000 in chips to play baccarat and promptly lost A$370,000.

The next day he withdrew another A$600,000 worth of chips and had a winning streak, amassing chips to the value of A$5,048,000 on top of his stake, he claims.

However, Ma claims that when he tried to cash out his chips, Mrs Goh told him that couldn’t be done until the following Monday.

Linong Ma returned to Hong Kong, planning to collect his winnings on his return to Adelaide in June. However, in the meantime, someone at SkyCity transferred most of the money to Xie.

Linong Ma now accuses the junket operators of fraud and SkyCity Adelaide of negligence and breach of trust.

What is a junket operator?

Junkets are gambling trips offered to VIP casino customers. Casinos partner with junkets and usually pay them a monthly commission if the gamblers they bring to the venue generate a minimum guaranteed rolling chip turnover.

The Australian casino industry is under scrutiny for high-roller activities after former Supreme Court judge Patricia Bergin’s found Crown Resorts unsuitable to hold its casino licence after incidents of money laundering.