Croupier Wins $185k Casino Compensation Payout

A former croupier at Casino Canberra has won $185,000 in damages after her time spent working at the casino left her feeling psychologically scarred.
The 33-year-old woman sued for negligence after her employer failed to take account of the acute anxiety she suffered following a robbery which occurred at her blackjack table in  March 2008. During the incident a man snatched more than $1,000 from her table and ran into the streets with an apparent lack of security around to stop him.
As a consequence, the croupier then began to experience nightmares in which a man entered and attacked her inside her own bedroom, and as she explains: “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].”
Already a depressive bipolar sufferer, the woman’s doctor then advised that her acute anxiety disorder could develop into post-traumatic stress disorder if not treated, with another doctor’s report suggesting less stressful work, such as dealing with the casino regulars at the Chinese gambling tables, instead of the rowdier blackjack tables.
Nevertheless, the Casino Canberra, instead, placed her as a pit inspector at the blackjack and poker tables, where she experienced a panic attack after a rowdy customer “drinking like a fish” started swearing at the dealer before turning his abuse towards her. The man was then removed from the casino by three security officers.
Following the altercation, the woman spent two days at Calvary Hospital’s private mental health facility suffering with suicidal thoughts. Despite the casino claiming the employee’s fragile condition may have been caused by an unrelated mental health problem or illegal drug use, the ACT Supreme Court ruled that the casino breached its duty of care by failing to provide her with a safe work environment. As a result, the employee was awarded $185,000 in compensation.