The Cascades Casino in Langley was within its rights to fire dealer Reza Ghadipasha after he was caught cheating at cards at a casino in Coquitlam, a provincial court judge has ruled.
Ghadipasha sued the owners of the Langley casino, Gateway Casinos Entertainment, for wrongful dismissal over his firing in January 2009.
He'd been working as a licensed card dealer in Metro Vancouver for about 11 years when he tried to switch cards during a game at the Boulevard Casino in Coquitlam on Jan. 12, 2009.
As described by Surrey Provincial Court Judge James Jardine in his ruling, Ghadipasha had $500 on the line when he tried to move cards from his high hand to his low hand to avert a loss. The attempt was spotted by the Boulevard dealer and later confirmed by video surveillance.
Ghadipasha gave back the $500 he won by touching the cards but he was banned from the Boulevard Casino for cheating and his registration was cancelled by the provincial Gaming Enforcement Branch.
In a Jan. 28 letter to Ghadipasha, Branch director of registration Garth Bailey said that the veteran dealer had compromised his honesty and integrity.
"As a dealer of considerable tenure and a registered gaming worker, it is incumbent upon you to act within the highest standards, and you failed to do so," Bailey wrote.
When Bailey informed the Cascades casino that Ghadipasha's licence was cancelled, the dealer was promptly fired.
When he took his former employers to court, Ghadipasha argued that he was tired and intoxicated the night he touched his cards, the result of mixing wine and beer with Tylenol 3s.
Judge Jardine said without a licence, Ghadipasha would not be able to work as dealer, so his firing was reasonable.
"There was absolutely nothing that Gateway Casinos Entertainment did that was wrongful in respect of your termination," Jardine said.
The only possible route open to Ghadipasha would be getting the gaming branch to rescind the licence cancellation, Jardine added.
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