Como é possível dever HKD320 milhoes a um casino?

 set24

A Taiwan court has ordered a man to repay over HKD320 million (US$41 million) to Melco Resorts & Entertainment following his high-stakes gambling spree in 2019.

The man, as Taiwanese media reported, is from the Shilin district in the Taipei city.

He had initially secured a credit limit of HKD100 million from the casino operator, and had it raised to HKD300 million, SET News reported.

The agreement he signed with Melco stipulated that overdue repayments would incur an interest rate three times the statutory rate of Macau – set at 9.75 per cent.

After losing all his chips, the man, identified as Mr. Ku, had refused to settle his debt, prompting the gaming company to file a lawsuit in Taiwan.

The casino operator claimed that Mr. Ku owed them HKD 320.46 million – equivalent to approximately TWD1.3 billion.

Mr. Gu’s lawyer was reported to have defended that the non-transferable chips provided by the casino did not constitute cash and thus did not meet the legal criteria for a loan.

They also contended that the video evidence presented by the casino failed to confirm the specific time and place of the gambling activities involving the Taiwanese man, making it difficult to substantiate the legality of the loan.

Additionally, they pointed out inconsistencies in the testimonies of the casino’s witnesses.

The defence further criticised Melco for allegedly “harassing” Mr. Ku by sending letters to Hong Kong where the man was also based to demand a repayment during the litigation process.

The defence, meanwhile, argued that the high interest rate on the debt could have violated Taiwanese civil law, which should render both the debt and interest invalid.

However, the court ruled in favour of Melco, stating that Mr. Ku, as an adult, had the full capacity to understand and sign the loan contract.

The judge also emphasised that Mr. Ku could not claim ignorance of Macau’s gambling regulations and ought to respect local rules.

Consequently, Mr. Ku was ordered to repay a total of over HKD 320 million – at an interest rate of 29.25 per cent.

https://www.macaubusiness.com/taiwanese-man-owes-melco-over-hkd320-mln-in-gaming-debts-reports/