Restitution
front page

What's new?

Archive front page

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2007

2006

2008

2009

Casino bonanza was anything but

T. CATHARINES, Ont. (CP) - Samir Anz must have thought he'd hit the jackpot. Anz, 47, won $800 at a Casino Niagara roulette table last February, but the dealer mistakenly dished out a stack of chips worth $3,200.

By the time the dealer realized the mistake and alerted supervisors, Anz was in another part of the casino in nearby Niagara Falls.

He wasn't found for three hours - by which time he'd lost the extra $2,400 at a blackjack table.

Even though the extra chips weren't cashed in and were back in the casino's possession, management asked Anz to pay back $2,400. When he failed to do so the next day, he was charged with theft.

Anz pleaded guilty to theft last September and on Monday was fined $700 and ordered to repay the $2,400 within a year. He is also banned from attending any casino in Ontario for one year.

Crown attorney Michael Quinn said there's a common misconception that a person is entitled to keep the extra cash if a casino dealer makes an error.

"A lot of people might think it's the casino's tough luck if they make a mistake, but by law you can't take money if you know it doesn't belong to you," he said.

It's the same as if a bank mistakenly puts too much money in your account, Quinn said. "That doesn't give you the right to go out and spend it."