Keith Hayashi, an operations manager at SkyCity Casino in Auckland, New Zealand was fired for offering a “goodwill payment” of 0,400 to a woman described as a high-value international player.
According to local media, Hayashi made the offer because he thought the VIP had been playing at the wrong table limit. Though the error was detected before the payment was made and Hayashi was dismissed, the Oz Bush Telegraph reports that the player demanded the payment, and the casino complied.
In February 2016 the woman played baccarat for nine days in an area designed for important international players. Hayashi was informed that the table limit for a baccarat “any pair” side bet was $25,000 in a specific room. Believing the limit applied to a different room, he approached the player and offered an overpayment figure of $310,400.
He did not first seek approval for the payment, and when it was denied, the player demanded to be paid. Hayashi was terminated in May. He took the decision to the ERA, saying he was unfairly terminated and seeking compensation. ERA member Andrew Dallas found in favor of SkyCity.
“Mr. Hayashi may have had the employer’s best interests at heart, but SkyCity did not see it that way,” Dallas wrote in his decision. “Unfortunately, what became in effect a personal crusade by Mr. Hayashi to ensure that a significant client of the casino was not disadvantaged by a highly unusual situation—a situation he substantially contributed to—meant Mr. Hayashi has lost his long career at SkyCity. This is, indeed, very unfortunate.” Hayashi had been employed by SkyCity since 1995.
