Here’s One Way to Handle Losing Money at the Casino

READ MORE: Casinos, Gambling, Odd

In three years, Paul Burrell gambled away nearly $500,000 of his life-savings at Casino Nova Scotia. Yet the former Cape Breton coal miner says he was never once approached by staff at the casino in Sydney, N.S., even though provincial law requires them to bar problem gamblers from the premises.Day after day, week after week, between January 2000 and February 2003, he sat in front of the slot machines at the casino, where the staff let him keep on playing and losing, even though it was clear he was addicted:

“Any business has a responsibility to protect its customers,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what business you’re in. When someone is your customer, you have an obligation to protect that person from being hurt or damaged on your premise — or at your place of business.”

Burrell has threatened to the sue the provincial government in a bid to force it to be more aggressive in spotting gambling addicts within casinos.

N.S. Gambler Loses $500,000 at Casino, Threatens to Sue [Canada.com]