Dad-of-three plunges to his death from luxury cruise liner after running up an eye-watering debt on the ship’s casino tables – as insider reveals how high rollers are lured to gamble off Australia’s shores
EXCLUSIVE
A cruise ship passenger who plunged to his death from the ship racked up $4,000 in casino debt after being lured into big spending by the company’s “high roller” incentives, his family claims.
Shane Dixon, 50, died after falling overboard while sailing on the P&O cruise ship Pacific Adventure just after 4am on May 6 as it approached Sydney Harbour.
The father-of-three, from Campbelltown in Sydney’s west, had been on the three-day Elvis-themed cruise to Moreton Island in Queensland with his mother Sue Dixon, 66, who had saved up to make the trip as a holiday for the couple books. .
His family claims he fell victim to rogue practices used by cruise lines to encourage gambling under ‘international waters’ guidelines – which would be considered illegal in Australia.
‘Our mother is devastated. Broken,” Shane’s brother Scott Dixon told Daily Mail Australia on Monday.
Shane Dixon, 50, is pictured with his mother Sue Dixon
Shane died on May 6 after falling from P&O’s Pacific Adventure cruise ship
“She’s already buried one son and now she has to bury another.
“Mom said they had fun, everything was fine.
“But the casino is using all these incentives to tell people, ‘Come back, come back.’
In Australia, strict laws govern how gaming providers can advertise gambling. Promotions such as giving customers free drinks, gambling vouchers and prizes to encourage them to spend money are all banned.
However, cruise ships operating casinos in international waters can circumvent these regulations, creating a lucrative loophole.
Gamblers also don’t have to pay upfront and can put their expenses directly into their room account, making it easier to spend money and harder to track.
Before the holidays, Scott said his brother was going through a difficult time as he struggled financially and dealt with the ongoing fallout from a series of tragedies, including the breakdown of his marriage and the deaths of their brother and father.
To blow off some steam, Shane went to the cruise casino on Friday and spent $5,000, while the casino staff showered him with free drinks, a $750 gaming voucher and a ticket to a future cruise, Scott claims.
Shane borrowed $5,000 from his mother to repay the debt, but returned to the casino the next evening and collected a bill for $4,000.
Shane is described by his devastated loved ones as ‘bubbly, happy and easy-going’
Scott believes Shane would have realized the severity of his situation when the ship returned to Australian waters, where cruise casinos were closing their doors.
Shane fell off the cruise just 10 nautical miles from Sydney Harbour.
“His brain was probably going 100 miles an hour. He probably thought, ‘S***, I did it again. I can’t afford it and I can’t ask my mom for more money,” Scott said.
He added that the HR staff were wonderful and compassionate towards his mother; However, the family finds the company’s casino policy irresponsible.
A high-roller who is a member of P&O Cruises’ VIP programme, the Players Club, said the strategies used to promote gambling are ‘predatory’.
Although he always plans what he spends and only takes cash, he said the methods used are hard to resist for people struggling with gambling addiction.
“They are essentially offshore casinos that come and pick people up from the coast and take them to international waters to gamble,” said the man, who asked to remain anonymous.
Pictured: A promotional voucher offered by P&O to casino players, urging them to ‘come back and play’
“They are offering very generous incentives for players to return, which would not be legal in Australia, including unlimited drinks where RSA does not apply.
“If you don’t have the means to pay and you have a problem, there’s no one to stop you, so you can build up a lot of debt.
“Then they shut them down when the ship returns to shore because they can’t legally operate them in Australia.”
Other similar stories have surfaced online, with a gambler taking to Reddit for advice eight months ago after being ‘tricked’ into picking up a $5,000 bill he couldn’t pay and which was charged to his room.
Pictured: Photos from the fateful trip that Shane posted online before boarding the cruise
The passenger said he linked the debt to his debit card, but their bank became suspicious of the transaction and froze their account, leaving him without access to funds for the rest of the trip.
A person identifying themselves as a former crew member responded, saying, “They will push you as hard as they can to figure out a way to pay the money.”
‘[They will get you] to call family members, ask about other credit cards, etc.,” the former employee wrote.
“If after a while you still don’t have a way to pay them, they will have to let you go after you sign an agreement promising to pay them as soon as possible.”
As Shane’s family calls for change, a family friend has launched a campaign GoFundMe to help them prepare for the farewell of the ‘hardworking truck driver’.
“He was bubbly, happy and easy-going,” Scott recalled.
‘It’s terrible [how these casinos operate]. It’s wrong. Even local pubs now have to limit the number of customers? Why can’t they do that? They check the balances first.
“Hopefully this can be addressed to put Mom at ease.”
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 a responsible gaming policy on all P&O ships and we take this policy seriously,” she said.
“We are cooperating fully with the coroner’s investigation.”
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