The Star Sydney Casino has fired and banned from entry a casino manager who borrowed over $7,000 from fellow employees to fund her gambling addiction. The employee, Minh Nguyen, served as a casino special employee, supervising gaming tables and ensuring the smooth day-to-day operation of gaming activities in the casino.

However, she also developed a gambling habit that quickly turned into an addiction. Nguyen is said to have borrowed thousands from employees between 2020 and 2021 when her gambling addiction was at its worst. On one occasion, she drove an employee home and asked for a $1,000 loan.

Nguyen returned the loan several months later. She asked for a $3,000 loan from another employee, who agreed to give her $2,000, half of which was repaid five months later. As Nguyen sought to borrow more from various employees, members of the staff came together to report the issue.

The Regulator Revokes Nguyen’s License, her Employer Releases Her

Nguyen eventually disconnected her phones and was unreachable. The case soon involved the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming, which reached a decision. The watchdog’s chairman, Philip Crawford, argued that Nguyen was unfit to remain in her current position and recommended revocation of her licenses, which happened shortly after.

The decision also took into consideration Nguyen’s evident problem with gambling and was made in order to protect her from further gambling-related harm. On the occasion, Crawford had this to say:

“The repeated nature of the contraventions indicates a lack of honesty and considerable lack of diligence or ability with respect to regulatory compliance.” Nguyen added that she had not used her position to elicit the loans from her employees.

Whether Nguyen has received adequate help for her condition is not as of this moment clear, nor is whether she managed to repay the full amount of money she borrowed from fellow staff members.