Gambler had two daughters in her care

A Dunedin mother who lost her inheritance, divorce settlement and house in a $6.6 million gambling spree over three years had two young daughters in her care.

The Gambling Commission heard yesterday that Mrs Christine Keenan gambled in the Dunedin Casino more than 10 days a month in 36 straight months from June 2001 to June 2004. In 10 of those months, she gambled on more than 20 days.

On top of that, she was playing gaming machines at numerous hotels.

The casino manager at the time, Rod Woolley, told the commission that she had custody of two daughters after separating from her husband, Ross Keenan, a technician for Aristocrat Gaming Machines.

The casino's security and surveillance manager, Geoff Purdon, said he knew the family personally because his children went to the same school as the Keenans' daughters, aged 12 and 10.

But he said he did not ask Mrs Keenan about who was looking after the children when she came to the casino because both parents seemed to be sharing the childcare.

"I was doing shift work. Sometimes I would be picking up my kids from school and saw her there, sometimes I saw her ex-husband there," he said.

The children "were always well dressed. I thought they were being well cared for".

Other casino staff, giving evidence in defence of the casino's failure to identify Mrs Keenan's gambling problem until she was arrested for stealing from her employer in August 2004, said she was also well dressed and never appeared distressed.

Gaming manager Marc Yeoman described her as "the most pleasant patron we had".

"Her replies were measured and friendly, she was typically not fazed, and I truly believed Mrs Keenan liked the social and safe atmosphere of the casino more than the gambling," he said.

She was a "typical" client. Two-thirds of the patrons were female, with an average age of about 47. He believed the casino was "her pick-up joint so to speak".

Security officer Paddy Stewart described her once "standing directly behind a gentleman who was playing blackjack - she was rubbing his back and his bottom region".

But he also confirmed a written statement he made to the Internal Affairs Department that Mrs Keenan "had a habit of knocking the alcohol back quite a bit".

In May 2004, she left the casino at 1am "in a very intoxicated state". Stewart tried to stop her driving but she said "No, I'm right," and drove off.

In August, shortly before she was arrested, he succeeded in confiscating her car keys and removing her from the premises because she was "wandering around very unsteady on her feet, bumping into things and spilling her drinks".

Mr Yeoman confirmed that, as a "VIP" big spender, Mrs Keenan received a "VIP tab" of $50 to $100 for food and drink each night.

Mr Purdon said Mrs Keenan was monitored at least since late 2002 or early 2003 when an employee mentioned she was "spending more time at the casino".

A casino director, Dunedin accountant Stuart McLauchlan, said that in August or September 2003 he asked his cousin, Trevor Scott, who was Mrs Keenan's employer, to check on whether she might be "helping herself to money" from accounts which she administered. Mr Scott found nothing untoward.

Mr Woolley said he had five or six discussions with Mrs Keenan from early 2003 onwards but she was always "insistent that she did not have a problem and was very aware that help was available if ever she needed it".

"I never established in my mind that she had the potential to be a problem gambler," he said.

Lawyers for both sides will sum up today and a decision on whether the casino breached its licence is expected in the next few weeks.