British Columbia seems to be in the gambling news everywhere these days. They launched an online casino that had to be shut down because it was exposing player’s information to other players. Which was a bit of an issue. But while some have been arguing that a government run online casino may encourage problem gamblers, an actual problem gambler is suing over his right to keep a jackpot win.
Mike Lee is suing the British Columbia Lottery Corporation to claim the $42,500 jackpot he won in January. The problem is that in 2007 Lee signed an agreement that was to prevent him from gambling for three years as part of the voluntary self exclusion program. The agreement he signed would have allowed him to be asked to leave and fined if he was found in a gambling establishment.
But Lee’s lawyer is arguing that the agreement didn’t work because his client was able to gamble and win amounts in the hundreds of dollars at the casino on a number of occasions without being asked to leave. But when Lee won the big jackpot and tried to collect it, he was told the agreement he’d signed meant he had to forfeit his winnings.
However, Lee’s lawyer may have found an answer for his client. Lee signed his agreement in 2007 but the clause stating that gamblers agreed to forfeit earnings was added in 2009. Lee’s lawyer says his client was never notified of the claim. The British Columbia Lottery Corporation isn’t commenting on the case. But they have said that overall, many people gamble while on the program and only stop when they are prevented from winning. But wasn’t the program designed to STOP them from gambling at all?