Canadian Roulette Players Lose Court Case
The Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed a case this week where four high stake gamblers were demanding a $14 million refund from the Fallsview Casino due to a controversial 'floating ball' policy.
The players claimed in their legal battle that the casino's rule on what happens in the event of a 'floating ball' on the roulette wheel was illegal, as they had not applied for permission to use it from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
The 'floating ball' policy allows dealers to remove a ball from the wheel if it is stationary while the roulette wheel is spinning or in the case when the ball spins around the wheel for a long time without coming to a stop in a numbered pocket. All bets are returned on floating balls.
The four gamblers said that this policy constitutes a 'rule', which by law, the casino had to receive permission to use from the gambling authorities.
However, the court ruled that the policy was just that - a policy - and not a rule that required permission.
$14 Million Roulette Case
The four men first sued the casino for $14 million in a lower level court, and asked at the time that they required that the court make a minimum ruling for the casino to pay them back the $2 million which they lost at Fallsview's roulette tables.
After having their first case thrown out of the lower court (and being ordered to pay $175K in compensation), the men tried their luck at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, and lost once more. This time, however, the gamblers were ordered to pay the legal bills of the commission and casino, lumping a total of $200,000 onto their own legal bills.
$1,000 Per Roulette Spin
The four men have been regulars at the Fallsview Casino since 2004 when the Ontario gambling establishment first opened, and usually spent their time in the high stakes area, wagering up to $1,000 per spin.
Some of the men regularly borrowed from the casino to cover their losses, and over the years, lost $2.1 million collectively.
When the province's Ontario Lottery and Gaming demanded that the loans be repaid in 2008, the lawsuit was launched.
The men were countersued by the OLG for the money they owed and only some of the loan has been repaid.
The Fallsview Casino is one of multiple locations where it is possible to play roulette in Canada.
