Tarwinder Shokar claims that Caesars Windsor in Ontario should have known about his compulsive gambling and alcohol addiction during two October 2013 visits, and should have been aware that he had been banned from other casinos for disruptive behaviour. He is currently banned from all Ontario casinos.
Shokar, who also has criminal fraud convictions, said the casino over-served him alcohol and encouraged his gambling while he was intoxicated, and is suing the casino and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) for his gambling losses and an additional $500,000 in punitive damages.
“Our position is he was a compulsive gambler and the casino and/or the OLG were either well-aware of his past background - or should have been,” said Iain MacKinnon, Shokar's lawyer.
According to the lawsuit, Shokar arrived with a bank draft card loaded with thousands of dollars and was given special treatment during his first visit to the casino. He was treated to a steak dinner and checked into the casino hotel, although he opted to spend the night at home instead. He lost $70,000 over several hours in the evening and morning, the lawsuit said. He then lost $190,000 during another visit a few days later, before the afternoon was over. He said the casino footed the bill for hundreds of dollars in taxi rides to and from his home and “did everything they could for him to gamble as much as possible,” according to MacKinnon.
The defendants are asking a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, saying Shokar has only himself to blame for his losses.
“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,” defense lawyers said in a statement.
