In New Zealand, local casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group has reportedly been ordered to reinstate a former employee at its SkyCity Auckland venue and compensate him to the tune of NZ$25 000 ($18,000) after losing a wrongful dismissal case.

According to a report from Asia Gaming Brief, the Employment Court of New Zealand found in favor of former SkyCity Auckland shift manager Keith Hayashi after he was sacked by Auckland-based SkyCity Entertainment Group for incorrectly handling the betting limits of a high-roller.

Asia Gaming Brief reported that the VIP guest, who was identified in court documents only as ‘Mrs A’, had lost between NZ$9.5 million (US$6.8 million) and NZ$12 million (US$8.6 million) inside SkyCity Auckland while Hayashi had been fired after it was alleged that he had incorrectly compensated the player and given her a NZ$300,000 (US$216,300) refund to which she was not entitled.

However, the court reportedly ruled that SkyCity Entertainment Group had sacked Hayashi on the basis of incorrect information concerning the incident and that the dismissal process had been flawed. The Employment Court of New Zealand moreover purportedly found that the firing had been unnecessary in advance of calling the whole affair ‘unjust, unfair and unreasonable’.

In addition to being ordered to re-hire Hayashi and pay him damages for any hurt and humiliation he may have suffered, the ruling additionally reportedly stipulated that the employee is entitled to receive lost wages.