The shocking death of a father-of-three who fell off a cruise ship after racking up debts at the ship’s casino has sparked calls for the government to intervene in gambling practices in international waters.
Shane Dixon, 50, fell to his death from the P&O cruise ship Pacific Adventure shortly after 4am on May 6 as it approached Sydney Harbour.
His family believes he panicked after the consequences of an outstanding $4,000 debt from the ship’s casino began to sink in.
He had also racked up losses of $5,000 at the gaming tables the previous night, which his mother, who was traveling with him, had stepped in to cover.
“His brain was probably going 100 miles an hour. He probably thought: “Shit, I’ve done it again, I can’t afford it and I can’t ask mum for more money,” Shane’s brother Scott Dixon told Daily Mail Australia.
Gambling Reform Alliance chief executive Carol Bennett said the cruise operator had failed to provide Shane with adequate duty of care.
Shane Dixon, 50, is pictured with his mother Sue Dixon, who saved up to take them on the boat.
Shane died after falling from the P&O Pacific Adventure cruise ship on May 6
“It’s really worrying that when a ship is sailing 12 nautical miles from shore it can allow anything to happen,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“The rules that might apply on land no longer seem to apply and yet one would hope that this cruise line would have some kind of duty of care to ensure that people are not harassed with incentives, promotions and advertisements that push them to betting at extremely high levels.” harmful levels.
‘It is incredible that there is no expectation that when a cruise ship leaves a dock that the rules of that jurisdiction apply.
Pictured is Gambling Reform Alliance Executive Director Carol Bennett.
“But that is clearly not the case and we leave it all up to the cruise line operator, who may or may not enforce responsible gambling service.”
He said if Shane had been offered incentives, the operator must take responsibility for the “egregious breach of duty of care”.
Scott said his mother and brother had a good time on the Elvis-themed cruise before Shane entered the casino.
Before the holidays, Scott said his brother was struggling both financially and with the breakup of his marriage and the deaths of his brother and father.
‘Mom said they were having fun, everything was fine. But the casino uses all these incentives to tell people, “Come back, come back,” she said.
In Australia, there are strict laws governing how gaming providers can advertise gambling. Promotions such as giving customers free alcoholic drinks, gambling vouchers and prizes to encourage them to spend are prohibited.
However, cruise ships that operate casinos in international waters can circumvent these regulations, offering a lucrative loophole to the rules.
Bettors also don’t need to pay up front and can charge their bets directly to their room bill, making it easier to spend and harder to track.
Ms Bennett said it was “critical” that players were able to set spending limits, self-exclude and be in an incentive-free environment.
A promotional voucher offered by P&O to casino players, urging them to “come back and play”
“This is simply basic harm reduction that any provider or organization providing gambling services should adhere to,” he said.
‘And if not, we need to think really seriously about what governments need to do to address this problem because you wonder how widespread it is.
“This could be just the tip of the iceberg.”
Ms Bennett said Australia loses approximately $25 billion in legal forms of gambling each year and the consequences are far-reaching.
“It leads to everything from domestic and family violence to health and mental health problems, anxiety, depression, financial difficulties and even suicide,” she said.
“It’s a huge and somewhat hidden problem in Australia, which is why We need stricter enforcement of safeguards and barriers around gambling that don’t see people driven into a situation where they see no way out but suicide.’
He said that because the government accepts large amounts of revenue from the gaming industry, the devastating impacts could be “swept under the rug.”
“I think most people would be horrified to know that there are no rules here, that we allow this situation to happen and it is not taken seriously enough, not only by our governments, but also by these companies that have a duty of diligence and justice”. “Don’t consider it something you should take seriously,” he said.
‘These are people’s lives. For every person who plays, there are six people around them who will be directly affected.”
Shane Dixon, 50, fell to his death from the P&O cruise ship Pacific Adventure shortly after 4am on May 6 as the ship approached Sydney Harbour.
Labor MP Graham Perrett said the British cruise line was most likely operating under UK gambling laws.
“My understanding is that UK gambling laws are no different to ours in terms of marketing and advertising,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“It’s not just a game of chance, even if they are outside our territorial seas, they still have to follow the laws of the United Kingdom.”
Labor MP Graham Perrett
Perrett said operators needed to communicate to their customers that once they were in international waters “they were no longer in Kansas.”
“If a company engages with Australian customers, it should make people aware of the fact that things change when you go from 12 nautical miles to even 24 nautical miles from land,” he said.
‘I would respectfully suggest that people be aware of what laws would apply in terms of investigating the death of Mr Dixon or other people if they get into trouble.
‘When it comes to the Australian government talking to the UK government there is no problem as we have good connections between these two legal systems.
“But it can get more complicated in what they call a multiplicity of jurisdictions.”
A high roller who is a member of P&O Cruises’ VIP casino programme, the Players Club, said the strategies used to promote gambling are “predatory”.
While he always plans what he spends and only accepts cash, he said the methods used would be hard for people struggling with gambling addiction to resist.
“They are essentially offshore casinos that pick up people from the coast and take them to international waters to gamble,” the man, who wishes to remain anonymous, told Daily Mail Australia.
Pictured: Photos of the ill-fated trip that Shane posted online before boarding the cruise.
‘They offer players very generous incentives to return, which would not be legal in Australia, including unlimited drinks where RSA does not apply.
‘If you have no means to pay and you have a problem, there is no one to stop you and you can accumulate a large amount of debt.
“Then they close them down when the ship comes back to shore, because they can’t operate them legally in Australia.”
A P&O spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia it would be inappropriate to comment on the tragic death of a guest while a coroner’s investigation is underway.
“We have responsible gaming policies on all P&O ships and we take them seriously,” he said.
“We are cooperating fully with the coroner’s investigation.”
For 24/7 confidential support, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
For 24/7 gambling support, call the National Gambling Helpline on 1800 858 858