$12 In Unclaimed Poker Machine Winnings Causes A Stir

$12 In Unclaimed Poker Machine Winnings Causes A Stir March 6, 2013 March 6, 2013 Tim Glocks https://www.poker-online.com/author/tim
Posted on  Mar 6, 2013 | Updated on  Mar 6, 2013 by Tim Glocks

Poker MachineAfter being treated unfairly removed from her work, Jamie Gwen Hammond, an 18-year old staff of Grosvenor Hotel, was dismissed from a controversial case and awarded over $13,000 compensation for going through the humiliating experience of losing her job. Hammond was considered innocent of the accusations that she pocketed $12 in unclaimed winnings from a patron after the Employment Relations Authority of New Zealand discussed the issue further with her former manager. Based on the testimony authorities gathered from the former hotel manager, it appears Hammond was trained to take unclaimed winnings.

And that was exactly what happened on December 5, 2011, as Jamie Gwen Hammond fulfilled a patron’s request to change $24 of coins in winnings from a poker machine into notes. However, the patron left the hotel without claiming the winnings. The proper and legal way to deal with it is to donate the money into the bank account of the Pub Charity Trust as unclaimed money from gaming.

Ms. Hammond, on the other hand, claimed that she was taught to place unclaimed gaming winnings for several hours on the bar. If the money is unclaimed, the staff can decide on splitting it and consider it a tip. Luckily for Hammond, the Employment Relations Authority was able to find the manager who trained her and was able to get a testimony to back up her side of the story.

David Appleton, the authority member thought that she was doing the right thing after hearing what the former manager said. This is supposed to be Hammond’s first full time job. She even went through training regarding problem gambling. As per authorities, she just did what she thought was the right practice at the right time. Unfortunately, without conducting investigation, she was unfairly removed from her work. Aside from that, Hammond was humiliated from the incident and lost her dignity because of the false allegations made against her.

If the management took time to investigate and listened to Ms. Hammond’s explanation, they would have gotten to the bottom of the situation and may have been able to avoid paying $6,217 for lost wages and $7,500 as compensation for all the humiliation she was forced to endure.

These false accusations even went so far as to damage Hammond’s relationship towards her father. There was no communication between her and her father for five months after this incident. Fortunately, the truth was uncovered and Hammond can resume her life as it once was, her dignity restored.

Tim GlocksAuthor

Tim Glocks is a retired professor, he currently contributes to Poker-Online.com. Tim enjoys playing poker and has taken it up as a hobby since his retirement. He has taken part in many online tournaments and has become a veteran in a short space of time. Visit Tim’s google + page here