A high roller who was sued for a £589,724 debt he ran up one night playing double chance baccarat in the exclusive London casino Crown Aspinalls lost his case, the Evening Standard reported August 4.
Lester Hui’s unsuccessful defense was that he was “blackout drunk” and not responsible for his actions on the night of February 9, 2016, when he attended a special meal at the club to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Hui, who is a nightclub owner, testified that the Aspinalls staff overserved him with drinks, especially the very strong liquor Mao Tai as part of the casino’s “concierge service” for VIP members. He drank up to ten shots of the 106 proof liquor and three bottles of wine. He lost £400,000 in just 20 minutes.
Aspinalls had pointed out that Hui was sober enough to be responsible for his gambling and even was able to drive himself home later. It also denied that its employees would offer drinks if a patron was obviously intoxicated.
High Court Justice Cotter ruled that Hui was liable for the debt and ordered him to repay it. He also wrote that Hui “significantly exaggerated” how much he drank.
