Crown Casino Chutzpah

Australia is the Gambling Continent. No other country comes close -- one in 50 Aussies has a gambling problem, 4 out of 5 adults gamble, 24/7 gambling parlors inhabit even the smallest of shopping strips, bookies run ads during sporting events that all but scream "Bet! NOW!" and 'taking a punt' is something you just do, not think about.

People are free to spend their money however they want, of course. Like the tobacco industry, casinos pay off government officials, tut-tut warnings and rake in silos of cash. Self-destruction is sport among humankind -- casinos are just one more playing field.

In a recent article about a millionaire gambling addict named Harry Kakavas who claims he was enticed to return to Melbourne's largest gambling den -- the Crown Casino -- by the very people who were supposed to turn him away, I came across this spectacular quote from Crown's CEO, John Williams:

Similarly, Williams said he did not think Kakavas' gambling was unusual. A loss of $2.3 million in 28 minutes was the recreational gambling of a successful and focused businessman, he told the court. ''That was a way for him to celebrate those successes,'' Williams said.

Imagine how he'd celebrate failure ....