Australia Casino Sued by Former Suicidal Drug Addict Blackjack Dealer

It’s a story that’s so bizarre that it’s hard to tell if one should laugh or just shake their head in wonder and disbelief. A former female blackjack croupier, dealer, and table supervisor is suing her previous employer the Casino Canberra, licensed under Australian gambling laws, for negligence.

The 32 year old alleges that the casino was negligent, and did not protect her safety well enough on two separate occasions which caused her to have a complete breakdown and even further deteriorate her already crippled mental health.

The former blackjack dealer was present at ACT Supreme Court and testified throughout the day. Under cross examination she readily admitted to some facts which make one question the judgment of the court official who allowed this lawsuit to proceed in the first place.

The ex-blackjack dealer accused Casino Canberra of ‘scarring her for life’ by causing her to begin having panic attacks, hallucinations, loss of memory, difficulties to focus and even to attempt suicide.

The woman readily admits that she had psychiatric problems her entire life including a depressive bipolar disorder and half a dozen other mental health problems.

She also readily admitted to ‘enjoying smoking methamphetamines, marijuana and taking ecstasy pills.’ In the past, she admitted to coming to work in the casino while going through withdrawal symptoms but denies her use of powerful mood altering illicit drugs is the cause of her mental disorders.

She alleges in her lawsuit that the casino thief was able to escape because of the failure of casino security guards. The casino contends that the thief slowly walked away and thereby did not exhibit behavior that would have alerted the guards.

After the event, she claims to begin hearing voices in her head, experiencing night terrors during withdrawal symptoms so acute that she slept with a knife under her pillow.

“So I thought in my head if I could actually set up my bedroom with the knife under my pillow, perhaps the knife might be there in my dream and I might be able to access it in my dream for protection,'' she stated in court.

The lawyers for the casino brought up a valid point that perhaps methamphetamines mixed with alcohol, marijuana and ecstasy along with her numerous preexisting mental disorders could have been the cause of the new disorder.

The methamphetamine puffing dealer asked her supervisor to be transferred to a different area since she no longer felt safe dealing blackjack to the rowdy crowd of intoxicated blackjack players. Instead she asked to be placed in the high roller Australian poker rooms. Her request was denied as the doctor felt her capable of shuffling and dealing blackjack cards.

According to online gambling news in Australia, the first day back working at the casino she claimed a drunk threatened her life which no one else at the blackjack table witnessed. Two days later the disheveled dealer was admitted into Calvary Hospital’s private mental health facility with suicidal tendencies.

Under cross examination the twitchy ex-dealer claimed she hasn’t ‘deliberately’ used drugs in many years and her memory was impaired by the trauma of the events. The casino introduced evidence of psychiatric hospital stays during the last three years which strongly pointed to the woman’s use of crack cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamines.

The hearing will continue tomorrow, so stay tuned for more real life drama and excitement from the Australian court of Master David Harper. .