Aussie High Roller Wins Right to Pursue Royal Caribbean Over A$22,000 Casino Cruises

An Australian high roller has won the right to continue his legal fight with Royal Caribbean over five cancelled complimentary cruises worth more than A$22,000.

Mark Timothy Grant says he earned the trips through Royal Caribbean’s Casino Royale programme after gambling onboard the cruise line’s ships. However, the company later cancelled the bookings and placed him on a no-sail list after raising concerns about his casino play.

QCAT agrees to hear the dispute

The case centres on five complimentary cruises with a claimed combined value of A$22,040.

Grant says the cruises were rewards he earned through Casino Royale. Royal Caribbean later cancelled the trips after reviewing his gambling activity. Reports on the case say the cruise operator alleged he breached casino rules, including through card counting or other advantage-play methods.

Grant disputes that position.

On 14 September 2026, QCAT Senior Member Samantha Traves set aside the earlier decision dismissing the matter. The appeal tribunal found that Grant’s casino spending, and the cruises he received as a result, were capable of creating a consumer contract.

That means his claim can now be heard by QCAT.

Grant has not won the A$22,040 claim

The ruling is important, but it does not mean Grant has already won compensation.

QCAT has only decided that it has jurisdiction to hear the case. It has not yet ruled on whether Royal Caribbean was entitled to withdraw the cruises, whether Grant breached any casino rules, or whether he should receive the claimed A$22,040.

That distinction matters because the key dispute between the parties remains unresolved.

For now, Grant has won the right to continue the case, not the case itself.

Card counting claims add another twist

Grant has previously been involved in disputes with Australian casinos over alleged advantage play.

He and fellow player Nathan Trent Anderson were excluded from The Star Gold Coast and Treasury Brisbane in 2018 after the operator raised concerns about their gambling behaviour, including alleged card counting. In 2022, QCAT set aside those exclusion notices.

That earlier matter is separate from the Royal Caribbean case, but it adds an extra layer of interest to the latest proceedings. The Star itself has remained in the headlines, with Casino.com recently reporting on Star Entertainment’s A$307.3 million FY2026 loss.

Card counting is most commonly linked to blackjack. Rather than cheating in the traditional sense, it usually involves tracking the cards that have already been dealt to estimate whether the remaining deck may be more favourable to the player or dealer. Casinos still tend to take a hard line on suspected advantage play and may exclude players or withdraw benefits where they believe rules have been breached.

Cruise casino rewards under scrutiny

The case may attract attention beyond one player’s dispute because complimentary cruises can be among the most valuable rewards offered through casino loyalty programmes.

If QCAT eventually finds that the cruises formed part of an enforceable consumer arrangement, the case could provide useful guidance on what happens when a casino-linked reward is later withdrawn by an operator.

That could be especially relevant in cruise casino settings, where gambling activity, loyalty rewards, and travel bookings are often closely connected.

For now, though, the matter is still far from over.

Grant has cleared the first hurdle by establishing that QCAT can hear his claim. The next stage will determine whether Royal Caribbean was within its rights to cancel the five cruises or whether Grant can successfully recover their claimed A$22,040 value.