I Was with Shane the Night He Plunged Off a P&O Cruise Ship

Cruise passengers have come forward to share alarming stories of how they were caught in gambling traps onboard luxury liners, after a man plunged to his death when he racked up large debts.

Shane Dixon, 45, was traveling on his first-ever cruise aboard P&O’s Pacific Adventure last week when he lost $9,000 over two nights in the ship’s casino.

A Mother’s Heartbreaking Loss

Shane’s mother bailed him out for the $5,000 bill he ran up on the first night, but he then amassed another $4,000 debt the following evening. Just two hours before the three-day cruise was due to dock back in Sydney, the father-of-three went overboard to his death.

The tragedy prompted a high roller to speak out against cruise casino practices, which incentivize gambling via free drinks, prizes, and allow punters to run up eye-watering bills by charging losses to their rooms, rather than paying upfront.

James: “I Was in the Casino with Shane”

James, who was on the cruise with five friends, said his group met Shane on the first day of the cruise before they occasionally hung out throughout the remainder of the trip. Based on his first impression, James said Shane was a wonderful person and he was shocked by the events that transpired on the evening of May 6.

James, his friends, and Shane all spent time together in the casino, where James was shocked by the blatant lures used to draw in gamblers. ‘We all got given free cruises to use in the next six months from the casino director and I myself racked up almost $2,000 gambling which was charged to my credit card, something I would never normally do in a million years,’ James said.

Passengers on these ships use either their room key or ‘cruise card’ to pay for everything on board. When those funds are depleted, players have the option to select ‘charge room’ to add more money, making it difficult to track how much they have spent.

James said he was fortunate enough to win back most of his losses on the last day and he then asked to be barred from returning, as he did not trust himself to not spend his winnings. However, James said the cashier told him self-exclusion was not an option.

Jason: “I Was Held on the Ship and Interrogated”

Jason claims P&O staff urged him to continue gambling to recoup funds after he accrued a $5,851 debt – before refusing to let him disembark and interrogating him for three hours about when he could pay his bill.

Jason set off on a three-day ’80s themed Pacific Adventure cruise with family and friends last Friday and lost $1,000 the first night in the casino. He was surprised the card allowed him to keep playing even though there were no funds in his debit account.

Over the next two days, continual losses plunged him into inescapable debt. When the ship docked on Monday, he expected he could organize a payment plan, but staff demanded he settle up there and then.

Michael: “I Am Paying Off a $4,750 Debt”

Michael, who has struggled with gambling for years, was traveling on a short family holiday aboard P&O’s Pacific Adventure cruise in January when he amassed a $4,750 debt. Michael said it was ‘scary’ to think anyone struggling with a gambling addiction could get themselves in such a situation. He called for more safeguards to prevent others from falling into the same trap.

Sandra: “I Did Not Give Consent for My Credit Card to Be Linked to the Casino”

Sandra was on board the Pacific Adventure last week with family to celebrate her mother’s 80th birthday. Sandra said staff offered her and her sister Cindy a room upgrade and they took their debit card details as part of the promotion – but, without their consent, it was then linked to their room – leading to them racking up a bill at the casino without realizing.

Collectively, the pair were hit with a $2,000 bill, half of which derived from the pokies. Cindy believes the company uses strategies to encourage holidaymakers to spend big, including placing the casino in the middle of the ship where everyone has to walk through it multiple times a day and counting winnings through points, rather than dollars.

Rachel: “I Was Onboard When Shane Died. Something Needs to Change”

Rachel was on the same cruise as Shane and James and was devastated to learn about the 45-year-old’s death. She heard he was distraught as the casino closed and the ship neared Australian waters as he felt he had lost his last chance of getting any money back. Rachel called for an inquiry into Shane’s death and how cruise companies operate their casinos.

P&O Responds

Insiders Daily Mail Australia has spoken to have raised concerns that cruises are floating casinos, operating in lawless international waters. Daily Mail Australia understands that P&O operates some cruises that don’t visit ports. These are typically themed, like Elvis or 80s, and only run for around three days.

Carnival, the parent company of P&O Cruises, responded to the allegations in a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. ‘P&O Cruises Australia appreciates the feedback from guests,’ said a spokesman. ‘We have Responsible Gaming Conduct Policies on all P&O ships and take those policies seriously. We encourage any guest with concerns to get in contact with us so that we can investigate.’

*Names have been changed to protect their identity.

Original source here: Daily Mail