Yahoo Finance Sydney RSL in strife: Man dies after all-night pokies binge
Dee Why RSL is reportedly facing a disciplinary hearing after a customer died following an alleged all-night poker machine gambling binge.
Liquor and Gaming NSW has investigated the circumstances behind Gary Van Duinen's death a year ago, as first reported by Fairfax Media, and lodged a disciplinary complaint with the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority.
Van Duinen spent 13-hour sessions at the RSL club, according to his mother Joy, hooked to a gambling habit that sunk both his business and his marriage.
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Both she and his ex-wife had requested assistance from Dee Why RSL to put a stop to his destructive behaviour.
But one year ago, he didn't return home after an all-night session, prompting Joy to look for him at the club the next morning. His body was later found in bushland after he took his own life.
"They do not care. All they care about is the money going into their machines and into their coffers," Joy Van Duinen said, referring to Dee Why RSL Club.
"Clubs have become so much like casinos that you can’t tell the difference."
Dee Why RSL declined to comment to Yahoo Finance.
The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority is the regulatory body for licensing. It can amend, suspend or cancel the Dee Why RSL’s conditions or apply financial penalties if it found it contributed to problem gambling.
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