The family of a gambler who took his own life after going broke has blamed the Hellenic Club of Canberra for not doing more to stop him pouring his money into its poker machines.
The tragic climax to years of compulsive gambling came on March 31, 2020 when Raimon "Ray" Kasurinen went into the back room of his home and ended his life. He was deeply indebted after years of playing pokies.
Earlier in the day, Mr Kasurinen's wife, Marlene, had phoned their daughter saying the couple's Landcruiser was about to be repossessed.
"My mother was crying and extremely upset," said their daughter, Vanessa Chambers.
And then she phoned again.
"Mum screamed, 'Ray just shot himself'. She was screaming hysterically, and I couldn't understand her," Mrs Chambers said.
The family blames the Hellenic Club for Mr Kasurinen's death. The club denies responsibility, saying claims there was "any indication of potential gaming harm to him or them are unfounded".
The family are also angry that, four years on, an investigation by the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission has still not finished.
They say they had warned staff at the Hellenic Club Mr and Mrs Kasurinen were bankrupting themselves on the pokies. But the couple continued playing, sometimes until just before dawn.
Mr Kasurinen's widow Marlene told The Canberra Times club staff would deliver "milkshakes, hot dogs, toasted sandwiches, pastries, cheese, cake, ice-cream" to her husband free of charge as he sat pouring his money into the machines.
Instead of banning or dissuading them from using the machines, Mrs Chambers said her parents were treated like VIPs, and given free meals and drink, including lobster and cognac. An area of parking was allocated to them.
The couple lived in Duffy and then in Fyshwick where they had a waterproofing business. Mrs Chambers was a police officer in Queanbeyan.
The widow now lives in a remote cabin in Tuena, about two hours north of Canberra, without electricity or mobile coverage. She survives on laborious fortnightly trips to the Salvos, courtesy of lifts with helpful locals.
Mrs Chambers is adamant gambling pushed her father over the edge.
"My father did not leave a suicide note, which indicates to me the suddenness of the decision to kill himself after learning that his vehicle was going to be repossessed," she said.
Mr Kasurinen's widow, his daughter, son-in-law and his granddaughter have all made detailed statements to the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission.
The commission told The Canberra Times via Gaming Minister Shane Rattenbury's office: "The Gambling and Racing Commission does not comment on matters that may be under investigation."
The chief executive of the Hellenic Club, Ian Cameron, said: "Any claim that the Hellenic Club failed Mr Ray Kasurinen or his family or that there was any indication of potential gaming harm to him or them are unfounded and are denied by the club."
Mrs Kasurinen said the couple's gambling intensified in 2017. They would go to the club more than three times a week. They would be given free meals by the staff. Sometimes, she said, she and her husband were given "a bottle of top-shelf alcohol such as cognac".
"After dinner, Raimo and I would play the gaming machines for a long period of time, mostly late into the evening and sometimes into the morning. Sometimes I would stay until the Hellenic Club closed at around 4am. At times I would play the gaming machines for longer periods when I had lost money in the hope that things would turn around."
The causes of suicide are invariably complex. Mr and Mrs Kasurinen had known tragedy before: their daughter was murdered in 2002. There is also the question of how much obligation a club should have to prevent compulsive behaviour by customers.
Mr Kasurinen's granddaughter Ashley said she called the club on December 19, 2019 and spoke to a manager: "I told him my grandparents' names. I told him that they had gambled away all of their money at the Hellenic Club playing poker machines and that they are now living in a disgusting factory because they have no money left.
"I said we want to get them banned from the club so we can get them some help to stop them from gambling."
But, she said, her grandparents were back there on New Year's Eve. "Not only did the club not ban my grandparents from attending the club - they had invited them back there," Ashley said.
Mr Kasurinen's daughter, Vanessa, said on March 20, 2020 she emailed the club saying: "I request the following from the Hellenic Club; to immediately cancel my parents' VIP status. To no longer invite my parents to the club for free meals or other special offers that encourages their gambling addiction. To stop allowing my mother to withdraw money from behind the cashier counter."
She reckoned between December 26, 2012 and February 29, 2020, her parents lost at least $345,597.67 in the Hellenic Club gaming machines.
But that, she said in her statement, was only part of the loss.
"It did not include information prior to 2012. This figure only reflects the occasions when my parents had their membership card inserted into the gaming machine that they were playing. It does not include the times when their membership card was not in the gaming machine, or the occasions when they were playing more than one gaming machine at the same time," she said.
The compulsion exercised by the pokies was powerful. "I would often arrive at the Hellenic Club with about $1000 cash that I had withdrawn from an ATM prior to attending the club," Mrs Kasurinen said.
"When this money had been spent on the gaming machines, I would withdraw money from two different accounts at the ATM inside the Hellenic Club, this enabled me to withdraw a further $480 for playing the gaming machines.
"I would often use several bank cards to withdraw money from multiple bank accounts to withdraw at cash facilities in the Hellenic Club. I would use cards for my bank accounts, joint bank accounts, Raimo's bank accounts. I recall having around eight or nine different cards at the one time.
"If Raimo and I were losing a lot of money on the gaming machines, either Raimo or I would leave the club to obtain more money from an ATM at a location away from the club and would return to the club to play the gaming machines more."
She said they were given permission to use an EFTPOS machine when they had run out of money. "The staff member told me that I didn't have to go home and could withdraw money from the EFTPOS facility in the club," Mrs Kasurinen said.
Mr Cameron responded to questions of the Hellenic Club with a statement.
"The late Mr Ray Kasurinen was a popular and well-respected member of the Hellenic Club, known fondly to many staff and patrons, as was his wife, Mrs Marlene Kasurinen," he said.
"Any claim that the Hellenic Club failed Mr Ray Kasurinen or his family or that there was any indication of potential gaming harm to him or them are unfounded and are denied by the club.
"The Hellenic Club takes seriously its role in relation to the responsible provision of gaming and our records demonstrate a consistent application of best-practice gaming harm-minimisation strategies. The Hellenic Club prides itself on strong member engagement, which extends to the exercise of a duty of care where we believe a members' gambling could become problematic.
"The specific claims made by Mrs Chambers were made to the ACT Gaming and Racing Commission in 2020 and have been the basis of an ongoing investigation since then.
"The club has cooperated extensively with the ACT Gaming and Racing Commission in its investigation.
"As the matter is ongoing, and on legal advice, I cannot comment further."
- The Gambling Helpline is on 1800 858 858.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed, contact Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; headspace 1800 650 890; ReachOut.com.
