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UK – Park Lane Club wins out in High Court ruling over VIP cash-back claim

By - 3 March 2021

Croatian businessman Juste Puharic has lost in his High Court battle against The Park Lane Club in Mayfair after his claims that the casino failed to pay-up the commission on the bets he made despite paying his £1.5m winnings.

He claimed he staked the amount because casino staff encouraged him with a cash-back offer on his bets. He believes he is ‘contractually entitled’ to £243,518, representing a 0.9 per cent commission on his bets of £27,057,621, in addition to the £1,466,056. He spent £27m over five days in May 2015.

His claim was dismissed by Judge Mansfield, who ruled that Mr Puharic had not reached a ‘concluded agreement’ surrounding incentives and bonuses with the casino’s owners Silverbond Enterprises.

Judge Mansfield ruled: “In my judgment, there was no concluded agreement reached between the parties about bonuses or incentives. The claimant was paid his winnings and is entitled to no further sum.”

Christopher Bamford, representing Mr Puharic outlined that casino staff offered him coffee and dinner after approaching him on the street, saying they would match or beat the best casino offers of any other Mayfair casino.

Mr Puharic claims the casino agreed to pay him a 0.9 per cent commission on his bets, matching a cash-back offer he was entitled to at other Mayfair casinos, whether he won or lost.

Guy Olliff-Cooper, representing the Park Lane casino, said: “It may have been said that the club would do its best to be competitive and would therefore consider matching terms that Mr Puharic received elsewhere. But no formal offer was made.”

“Casinos use a variety of incentives to attract customers. The defendant’s position is simply that it never made him this matching offer. The defendant did not offer to match or better the incentives that Mr Puharic received at other Mayfair casinos. The only incentive offered to roulette players at the Park Lane Club was discretionary free hospitality and commission which could be used as a ‘discount on losses’ but not claimed by a player who came out on top. The defendant did not offer to match or better the incentives that Mr Puharic received at other Mayfair casinos.”

The casino recently had its licence revoked over concerns over its ownership, although the premises can continue to trade during the appeal process. It was also fined £1.8m in 2019 as a result of money laundering failings

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