Australian Casino 'Strenuously Rejects' Ben Simmons' Suggested Discrimination Accusation
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – An Australian casino is denying an allegation of discrimination which was suggested by Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons on social media when he and his friends were asked for identification to enter the casino floor. A spokeswoman for Crown Casino in Melbourne tells CBS3 it is the company's policy to ask anyone who looks under the age of 25 for identification to ensure no one under the age of 18 enters the casino.
The spokeswoman also added that Simmons and his friends were granted entry to the casino after providing identification.
Simmons posted on Twitter early Tuesday morning, saying he and his friends "felt personally singled out" by the Crown Casino in Melbourne.
As you know an incident happened last night at Crown and my friends and I felt personally singled out, no one likes to feel like this. I am very passionate about equality and I will always speak up even if it means having uncomfortable conversations.
— Ben Simmons (@BenSimmons25) August 6, 2019
Prior to the tweet, Simmons had posted, then deleted, an Instagram video that alleges the only person in the group he was with who did not get asked for identification was not African American.
"I find it so crazy that the only guy who doesn't get checked to go into the casino is this guy (pointing the camera at a non-African American man), I get checked, Mike gets checked, and [another African American man] gets checked. Thank you Crown Casino. And they didn't let me in," Simmons said in the video.
The spokeswoman says Crown Casino "strenuously rejects" the report of discrimination.
"Crown's internal security policy requires our security officers to check identification of those persons they believe to be under the age of 25, this is an enhanced safeguard to ensure that no one under the age of 18 is permitted entry to the Casino Floor as required by Law," the spokeswoman said.
CBS3 reached out to the Sixers but they declined to comment on the incident.