Fair Play Casino dealt a heavy blow by court
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18 Sep 2025 •
Reading time: 3 minutes An employee of Fair Play Casino in Bergen op Zoom lost his job after a year and a half. He was accused of paying out €112 in credits that customers no longer used.
According to the casino, this constituted fraud. However, the court took a very different view and ruled in favour of the employee.
How the conflict between the employee and Fair Play got out of hand
The 54-year-old man had been working at the Brabant branch since September 2023. In February 2025, things went wrong. Within a week, he was followed four times by a company investigator. Camera footage shows him and a colleague cashing in unused credits.
According to him, customers clearly indicated that the remaining credits could be considered tips. He put that money in the tip jar, which all his colleagues used. His manager did not believe him. The casino dismissed him on the spot, saying harshly that his explanation was ‘incredible’.
The judge questions rules that no one knew about
The court case revolved around the question: were the rules clear? Fair Play said that tips could only be given in cash. But nowhere was this stated in writing. Nor could they prove that employees had been informed of this.
The judge concluded that there were simply no clear agreements in place. Customers even confirmed that they often left credits as tips. Furthermore, research showed that the man did not cash in all credits, only those that customers said were intended for him.
It was all about a tip jar and a controversial pass
The employee insisted that all the money went into the tip jar. Fair Play did not dispute this. Nevertheless, the company continued to point to the use of a special staff pass. Under strict conditions, this pass was supposed to be kept in a locked cabinet.
Here too, the judge found that Fair Play had no evidence that employees were aware of these rules. According to colleagues, the pass was often simply left in a desk drawer and was used by several people.
The ruling and the financial consequences for Fair Play
Because the casino did not provide any evidence of embezzlement, the judge overturned the dismissal. The man had a contract until July 2025 and will continue to receive his salary, plus a transition allowance and legal costs. All in all, this amounts to approximately 11,000 euros.
The judge did warn that the behaviour leaves room for fraud and that the casino needs to establish stricter rules. However, as long as those rules do not exist, an employee cannot be held accountable.
Fair Play increasingly under fire due to internal problems
This incident is not an isolated one. Fair Play was previously in the news when it suddenly parted ways with CEO Michiel Nubé. His resignation raised questions about the company’s leadership and direction.In addition, the chain has been struggling with staffing issues for some time. Fair Play announced that no fewer than 106 jobs would be lost. For many employees, it feels as if their job security is steadily eroding.