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What is Big Bass Crash?
An Australian casino player is taking Royal Caribbean to court, arguing that the company banned him from sailing with its services and from playing at its casinos over his ability to count cards. After previously winning a legal battle against Star Casino, Mark Timothy Grant is now moving to confront the cruise line.
Grant argues that he has booked five Royal Caribbean cruises that were valued at a total of AUD 22,000. He booked the cruises with money he won playing at the Royal Caribbean’s ships’ casinos.
However, before he could even board the first cruise, Grant was told that he would not be able to proceed onboard. Grant had his son and partner along with him. The company only then went to inform Grant that he had been placed on a “no sail” list, effectively a ban, because of “breaking the house rules” in the casino.
About Big Bass Crash
The restriction does not extend to strictly institutional communication made through the authorised operator’s own official channels, such as websites, apps, internal platform areas and customer service channels. In these spaces, information should be limited to company identification, official channels, access rules, self-exclusion and blocking mechanisms and mandatory warnings.
These channels may not contain promises of winnings, bonuses, invitations to bet, boosting or features designed to attract and retain user attention. The operator will also be responsible for the actions of affiliates, agencies, influencers, and other third parties who are paid or incentivised for commercial promotion.
Sponsorship by betting companies would be prohibited for clubs and other sports entities, federations, leagues, competitions, sports broadcasts, cultural events, shows, educational and social projects, philanthropic entities, civil society organisations, political parties, candidates and election campaigns, as well as digital influencers, athletes, artists and celebrities.
About Big Bass Crash
The regulatory framework strictly keeps the casino component in check. Casino floor space is capped at 3% of the total floor area of the IR, while Japanese residents are restricted to three visits per week and 10 visits within any 28-day period. Each visit also carries a mandatory ¥6,000 entry fee, reinforcing the government’s intent to curb excessive gambling even as it opens the door to casinos.
Japan’s path to IR legalisation was not straight forward. The IR Promotion Act, which set Japan on the road to casino-integrated resorts, was passed in December 2016 after a contentious debate. Nearly two years later came the IR Implementation Act, which laid out the regulatory frameworks for casinos, from entry restrictions to measures addressing gambling addiction and other social concerns. Yet even as the government pitched IRs as a catalyst for tourism, regional development and economic growth, opposition remained aggressive.
Among the opposing forces was Kenji Eda, a prominent House of Representatives lawmaker from Yokohama and a senior figure in the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Eda has been a vocal critic of the government’s IR push, raising concerns over gambling addiction, the economic impact on local businesses and whether the casino-led model would deliver the promised benefits.
