Star casino sues Singapore high roller for alleged $43m baccarat debt

Star Entertainment Group is “vigorously” pursuing a high roller accused of racking up an astonishing gambling debt at its Gold Coast casino.

Dr Wong Yew Choy is being sued by Star Entertainment Group for racking up a $43m baccarat debt at Star Gold Coast. Dr Choy claims “mistakes” during dealing should entitle him to write off the debt.

STAR Entertainment Group says it is “vigorously” pursuing a Singaporean high roller who claims dealing “mistakes” entitle him to write off a $43.2 million gambling debt on the Gold Coast.

In a case set to provide a fascinating insight into the world of high-stakes casino betting, Star is suing Dr Wong Yew Choy in the High Court in Singapore to recover his alleged losses at Star Gold Coast in Broadbeach.

The Gold Coast Bulletin can reveal Dr Wong, amassed the debt playing baccarat during a five-day stay on the Glitter Strip in the middle of last year.

The Oasis VIP gaming area at The Star Gold Coast. Photo: Supplied

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Star Entertainment Group lodged its case on February 1.

It is understood Dr Wong argues dealing “errors” during his whopping session should have entitled him to have the debt written off.

But the Bulletin understands the “errors” relate to superstitions including the dealer flipping his cards over instead of doing it himself.

A casino industry insider said such a debt was “big” in high roller terms and it would be inconceivable that a site would write off such a loss.

A Star Entertainment Group spokesman said: “The Star is disappointed the situation involving Wong Yew Choy has forced us to escalate the matter to the Singapore High Court.

“However, we are pursuing the debt vigorously. We would not be wasting the court’s time unless we felt our position was extremely robust. We have no further comment to make at this time.”

An online report at casinonewsdaily says Dr Wong, on return to Singapore, told his bank to stop payment of a blank cheque he had given to Star, arguing he did not owe the casino anything as Star had failed to prevent the “occurrence of mistakes”.