{"id":179877,"date":"2021-07-15T19:43:28","date_gmt":"2021-07-16T02:43:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aspinalls-casino-ex-worker-claims-racist-workplace-management-denies-uk-charges\/"},"modified":"2021-07-16T09:30:07","modified_gmt":"2021-07-16T16:30:07","slug":"aspinalls-casino-ex-worker-claims-racist-workplace-management-denies-uk-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/aspinalls-casino-ex-worker-claims-racist-workplace-management-denies-uk-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspinalls Casino Ex-Worker Claims Racist Workplace, Management Denies UK Charges"},"content":{"rendered":"

Black employees at London\u2019s Aspinalls gaming club worked in a racially hostile environment, a former dealer alleged during a tribunal Thursday. White players were kept away from Black workers — and Blacks were forced to hear racial slurs, she claimed.<\/p>\n

\"Tesfagiorgis
Semhar Tesfagiorgis, a former dealer at London\u2019s Aspinalls, pictured above. She is suing the gaming club for alleged racial and sex discrimination. (Image: The Times<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In testimony presented before the employment tribunal, Semhar Tesfagiorgis<\/a>, 41, recounted how she faced racial and sex discrimination at the members-only, exclusive Aspinalls.\u00a0She worked in an allegedly \u201chostile and demeaning environment,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0reported.<\/p>\n

She filed a lawsuit against the gaming club. Originally from Eritrea, a country in Eastern Africa, she was employed at the casino between 2007 and 2020.<\/p>\n

N-Word Used by Player<\/h2>\n

In her statement, Tesfagiorgis claimed players voiced racial slurs at her and at at least one other Black coworker. Among these were the \u201cN-word,\u201d uttered to her and another worker on Tesfagiorgis\u2019 second day on the job, she claimed.<\/p>\n

\n

Blacks also were compared to gorillas, she alleges. And Black workers were called \u201cstupid f****ng black girls,\u201d she claims.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Aspinalls officials denied most of her allegations, The Guardian<\/em> said. Aspinalls is owned by the Australia-based Crown Resorts<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But she claimed whenever she saw racism or sexism she reported it to management. She wanted the venue to address the matter \u201cand send a clear message that it does not tolerate any form of discrimination,\u201d Tesfagiorgis said, the newspaper reported.<\/p>\n

Instead, there were \u201cexcuses made on behalf of the patrons in an attempt to dumb down their offensive and unlawful conduct,\u201d The Guardian<\/em> quoted her complaint.<\/p>\n

She also claimed the casino would not ban the player who used the N-word in 2007. In 2009, the same player again used racist language, she alleged.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also, when a player asked for a different dealer, a white male dealer was provided, she said.\u00a0Then, in 2015, the casino would not let Tesfagiorgis change shifts because a player said he wanted \u201cwhite female dealers only.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, in 2019, Tesfagiorgis and another employee were kept away from a player who asked for a white female dealer, she alleged.\u00a0Following that incident, she was told by Michael Branson, the casino\u2019s chief operating officer, the player\u2019s preference \u00a0for \u201cfair-skinned dealers\u201d might have been \u201csuperstition,\u201d The Guardian <\/em>said.<\/p>\n

In still another incident, Tesfagiorgis said she was told she could not have weekends off. But a white, male colleague was given his weekends off, the report said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tesfagiorgis\u2019 lawyer, Shazia Khan, told The Times<\/em> last year the casino\u2019s behavior directly impacted her health and well-being.<\/p>\n

Casino Responds<\/h2>\n

In response to her allegations, Aspinalls said the player who made the comments in 2007 and 2009 was banned by management in 2009, The Guardian<\/em> said.<\/p>\n

The casino further said Tesfagiorgis\u2019 request for a different shift was rejected because the specific player \u201cpreferred dealers who did not interact with him,\u201d The Guardian <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n

\n

Also, the casino confirmed a Black dealer was removed from a gaming table in 2019. The incident was called an \u201cerror of judgment.\u201d Later, the issue was addressed \u201cpromptly and thoroughly,\u201d The Guardian<\/em> said, quoting Aspinalls statements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Black employees at London\u2019s Aspinalls gaming club worked in a racially hostile environment, a former dealer alleged during a tribunal Thursday. White players were kept away from Black workers — and Blacks were forced to hear racial slurs, she claimed. In testimony presented before the employment tribunal, Semhar Tesfagiorgis, 41, recounted how she faced racial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":179879,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33810,60],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAspinalls Casino Ex-Worker Claims Racist Workplace, Club Denies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Black employees at London\u2019s Aspinalls gaming club worked in a racially-hostile climate, a former dealer alleged. 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