Law firm Maurice Blackburn brought the case on behalf of Shonica Guy, whose gambling addiction lasted 14 years. Shonica Guy, of Adelaide, wants to force both companies to admit that their Dolphin Treasure slot machine is deceptive and manipulative. Guy began playing slots when she was 17 and quickly.

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Gambler Shonica Guy, has taken legal action. Her lawyer Jacob Varghese said academics purchased a Dolphin Treasure machine, then took it apart and analysed it. They discovered its fifth spinning wheel was much larger than the other ones, thereby reducing the chance of winning. They also found the machine was designed to deceive players by having multiple winning symbols on most wheels and only one winning symbol on one of them.

Source: ABC

Gambler ‘ripped off’ by deceptive gambling machine, court told

Crown Casino will vigorously defend a lawsuit which claimed the Melbourne venue engaged in deceptive and misleading conduct by designing a poker machine which deliberately tricks gamblers to play and lose.

The statement of claim lodged with the Federal Court stated the machine called the Dolphin Treasure, built by Aristocrat Leisure and operated by Crown Casino, was designed contrary to consumer law.

Shonica Guy has taken the legal action against Crown and Aristocrat Leisure after being addicted to poker machines for more than a decade.

“I’ve been ripped off. They stole 14 years of my life,” she said.

Ms Guy said during that time the Dolphin Treasure was her favourite machine to play.

“You put more money in because you think the win’s just around the corner,” she said.

“You think free games are coming up or I’ll get my money back and it never happens.”

One wheel inside poker machine is larger than others

Her lawyer Jacob Varghese said academics purchased a Dolphin Treasure machine, then took it apart and analysed it.

They discovered its fifth spinning wheel was much larger than the other ones, thereby reducing the chance of winning.

They also found the machine was designed to deceive players by having multiple winning symbols on most wheels and only one winning symbol on one of them.

“It’s one thing for a machine to be designed for entertainment purposes,” Mr Varghese said.

Sonica Gupta

“It’s another thing for machines to be designed with tricks that players are not aware of, which encourage them to keep pressing that button and keep losing money.”

Despite losing tens of thousands of dollars on poker machines, Shonica Guy is not claiming compensation or damages.

“She is seeking a restraint that these kind of tricks are taken out of poker machines,” said Mr Varghese.

He said there will be industry-wide ramifications if the lawsuit is successful.

Shonica Gooden

“There is a federal law that protects consumers, and establishing that they are bound by that law, and that they can’t conduct their activities with deceptive and misleading conduct, will have ramifications across the industry,” Mr Varghese said.

Crown said it would vigorously defend any claim.

Aristocrat Leisure has been contacted for comment.

Campbelltown mother, Shonica Guy and her son Izaya, 6, were shocked to discover pokies hiding in the popular Where’s Wally? book. Picture: Tricia WatkinsonSource:News Corp Australia

Reformed pokies addict and mother Shonica Guy was “absolutely horrified” when her six-year-old Izaya found three poker machines in a popular Where’s Wally? picture book.

“We were driving home from the book store and he says, ‘look Mum, the pokies’. I thought, surely not and then when I took a closer look, there they were,” the Campbelltown resident said.

“I was stunned, absolutely horrified. Such images are completely and utterly inappropriate for a child’s book.”

Shoneca Marsh

The poker machines in the Where’s Wally? book.Source:Supplied

The book in question.Source:Supplied

The Pokies Anonymous and Gambling Link SA co-ordinator approached SA Best MLC and gambling spokeswoman, Connie Bonaros MLC.

“I am absolutely appalled … that a book like this is available for sale,” Ms Bonaros said.

“My concern is about the conditioning of children and normalising the behaviour.”

Shonica Guy V Crown Melbourne

They wrote to the publisher requesting that the images be removed from future editions.

Walker Books Australia and New Zealand president, general manager and commercial director Angela Van Den Belt replied saying: “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I have shared your thoughts with the character publisher and the senior editor who work with (author and illustrator) Martin Handford in the UK and they have passed your concerns on to Martin and his agent”.

Sonica Guitar

Handford previously gave a topless sunbather her bikini back after outrage over nudity.