1 day Ago By Nathan Schmidt
A legal firm claims it is considering a lawsuit that alleges cruise giant P&O incentivised guests to gamble regardless of their capacity to repay their debts and plied them with free alcohol following the death of a man who jumped overboard off Sydney Heads. Carter Capner Law director Peter Carter said the firm was investigating a possible suit over what it said were “unethical practises” preying on vulnerable passengers in ship casinos in the wake of the incident on-board P&O’s Pacific Adventure. Alarms were raised on-board the cruise ship about 4am on May 6, 2024 when the vessel was about 18 kilometres from Sydney Heads, with the man’s body later retrieved by NSW Police Marine Area Command about 10.
30am that same day. Mr Carter said the man had reportedly lost thousands of dollars over two nights in the cruise ship’s casino, and accused P&O of incentivising guests to gamble by offering credit regardless of their bank balance and capacity to repay their debts. He further alleged P&O would ply guests with free alcohol and offer free cruises – “none of which are generally allowed in Australian casinos” – and despite modifications following the death and subsequent publicity, more still needed to be done.
“Not only were these actions arguably unconscionable, but the practice of preventing passengers and their families from leaving the ship and interrogating them at the Australian port of disembarkation, even for short periods, about how and when the casino debt will be paid, is against the law.” In a statement, a P&O Cruises Australia spokesperson said they had “Responsible Conduct of Gaming Policies in place on all P&O ships and take those policies seriously”. Mr Carter said Carter Capner Law was on the verge of launching a class action against P&O owner Carnival Cruises for the both the recovery of financial losses incurred by former passengers and for “damages for unlawful imprisonment”.
Mr Carter said he was calling on any other “affected passengers” to join the potential claim, stating that since news first broke of the investigation into a class action the firm had been “inundated with stories from across Australia and New Zealand”. Among them was a man Mr Carter referred to only as Paul. The firm alleged that upon arrival back in Sydney the man was held on-board for three hours over his casino debt before threatening to jump overboard and swim to shore, while his partner and three young children waited outside for him.
In another alleged case cited by Carter Capner Law, a man claimed he was offered a free cruise with unlimited drinks and a credit limit of $5000 per day despite Carnival Cruises being aware of his previous problems gambling and unpaid debts. Mr Carter alleged vulnerable people, including those with gambling addictions, were being targeted by the cruise line, and that “these practices blatantly prey on vulnerabilities and actively incentivise people to lose money.”.
