Lasseters Casino Fined NZ$19000 for Allowing Drunk Patrons on Premises
The Lasseters Casino in Alice Springs has been ordered to pay AU$18000 (NZ$19175) for failing to bar drunk patrons on several occasions. The Crowne Plaza Alice Springs Lasseters, the only casino in Alice Springs, allowed drunk customers after there was an increase in the number of people visiting the casino due to new anti-alcohol legislation that was introduced in the Northern Territory.
Owners of the Lasseters Casino – the Ford Dynasty Pty Ltd – on Monday, 2 September, pled guilty to failing on three different occasions to remove drunk customers from the licensed venue. These incidents happened once on 30 November 2018 and twice on 5 December 2018. Presiding judge, Judge Greg Borchers, ordered the Ford Dynasty to pay AU$5000 (NZ$5327) per incident along with a victim’s levy of AU$1000 (NZ$1065).
Lasseters Casino Benefits from New Search-and-Seize Law
Court documents state that the casino reported a daily increase of around 35% in the number of visitors to the casino. The increase was driven by the stricter regulations around the sale and consumption of alcohol introduced earlier this year. Under the new laws, police around takeaway bottle shops can now question customers within 20 meters of shops. They can ask them where they’re staying and where they’re planning on consuming the alcohol. If it’s in areas where it’s banned – in remote communities and town camps – they can confiscate it.
As a result, it’s believed that people with drinking problems are gathering at places like Lasseters Casino where they can drink the alcohol they buy.
According to court documents, casino staff were unable to kick out people in the casino who were clearly intoxicated. In the November 2018 incident, two police officers escorted an extremely drunk man from the Lasseters Casino blackjack table. According to the report, the man wasn’t even able to maintain his balance.
There was another instance of an intoxicated woman who was found passed out in the sports screening room in the afternoon. Security footage from the day shows that she was first found by a cleaner who did nothing to help her.
For more casino news, keep it locked here at Kiwi Casinos.