On a Sunday evening in July 2011, 40-year-old Anthony Dunning was pinned
to the floor of Melbourne's Crown casino by security staff. Four days
later, he died in the intensive care unit of the Alfred Hospital. The
incident was reported to the police by two friends who were with Dunning
on the night--not by Crown casino. Later that week, a spokesperson for
the police said that even though Crown had no legal requirement to
report such incidents, 'they probably had a moral obligation' to do so.
Crown casino said that its employees were just doing their job. Three
months later, a young security guard was charged with manslaughter.
Michaela McGuire follows the trial, trying to make sense of the gap
between ethics and the law. She speaks to problem gamblers and
psychologists, a casino priest and David Walsh, Australia's most
notorious gambler. Last Bets is true crime writing at its
best--disturbing, gripping, and unnerving. A must-read for gamblers, the
gambling industry, law makers and everyone who cares.