P&O Cruises in Spotlight Over ‘Predatory’ Casino Tactics

Posted on: November 21, 2024, 07:33h. 

Last updated on: November 22, 2024, 09:48h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.

P&O Cruises is facing a soon-to-be-filed class-action lawsuit that accuses it of using “predatory” tactics to lure passengers to gamble at its casinos. The British cruise operator is also alleged to have illegally detained passengers on board when they couldn’t pay their debts, according to The Daily Mail.

P&O Cruises, casino, class-action, lawsuit, illegal detention
A P&O cruise liner, above. The company is accused of preventing passengers from disembarking until they settle debts from the casino, a practice that an impending class-action lawsuit says is illegal. (Image: P&O Cruises)

In May, 45-year-old Australian father of three Shane Dixon died after jumping overboard as the cruise he had booked with his mother and brother on the Pacific Adventurer returned to Sydney Harbour.

Dixon, who was recently divorced and in financial difficulty, lost AU$9,000 (US$5,800) in the ship’s casino during the three-day trip. The family members had booked the cruise to cheer themselves up after recently losing Dixon’s father and brother.

‘Inundated’ with Complaints

Since Dixon’s death, Carter Capner Law, the Australian law firm that will soon file the suit, has been “inundated” with stories from potential complainants.

While the firm’s director, Peter Carter, acknowledged that P&O had “modified” its practices after the negative publicity arising from the tragedy, he said that the cruise operator is still incentivizing passengers to gamble by offering perks and lines of credit that exceeded their capacity to repay.

One potential complainant said P&O had allowed him to blow AU$6,000 (US$4,000) gambling just days after Dixon’s death when he only had AU$2,000 in his bank account.

The passenger said he hadn’t kept count of his losses because he believed the casino was only taking the money that was in his account and there was no discussion around credit.

When the cruise arrived back in Sydney, he was detained on board for three hours. He was only allowed to leave after he threatened to jump overboard and swim ashore.

‘Against the Law’

Another passenger was tempted to gamble at the casino by an offer of a free cruise with unlimited alcohol, complimentary dinners, and a credit limit of AU$5,000 per day.

These inducements were offered despite P&O knowing the customer had already run up gambling debts with the company on previous cruises, according to The Mail.

When he tried to disembark, he was told he could not leave until his total debt of AU$25,000 (US$16,000) which he could not pay, was settled. He was only allowed ashore when he signed an acknowledgment of the debt.

“Not only were these actions arguably unconscionable, but the practice of preventing passengers and their families from leaving the ship and interrogating them at the Australian port of disembarkation, even for short periods, about how and when the casino debt will be paid is against the law,” Carter said.

P&O Cruises is to rebrand to the Carnival Cruise Line next year.