Man Found in Air Vent of Australian Casino, Motive Unknown

Last Wednesday, sometime around 11pm, a 25 year old man climbed from a back staircase into a ceiling vent in Melbourne’s Crown Casino. He crawled some 30 feet through a steel duct, and then fell head-first into a vertical shaft, landing on a vent hanging over a food grill in the casino’s Automatic Cafe. Unable to escape, he was discovered the next morning, after spending 10 hours wedged in the shaft. Staff heard the man yelling and called the police. 

Police say the man did not appear to be mentally ill, but rescue workers who helped to extract the man from the vent said he may have been under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. His motive is not known, but it is suspected that he intended to rob the casino. When asked why he entered the shaft in the first place, he replied simply: “I don’t remember”. He is being charged with criminal trespass, and will at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on October 7.  

In other Australian gambling news, national elections are causing a stir as a politician is apparently taking advantage of internet betting in Australia to wager against himself. The bet was placed at Centrebet, and while the online sportsbook will not reveal who placed the bet, they assured press that the amount wagered was very large.  

Just weeks ago, MP Michael Johnson voiced his concern about online sportsbooks in Australia offering wagers on elections, and suggested that Australian gambling laws be changed to outlaw the practice. It is certainly possible that this “betting against one’s own team” tactic is part of a ploy to emphasize potential problems with election betting. The fact that these politicians are naturally privy to insider information makes the situation especially disturbing.  

“If that’s not corruption, I don’t know what is,” said anti-gambling Senator Nick Xenophon.