From about 4am on October 22, prosecutor Jennifer McGarvie said, Yanagida swapped the $140,000 for gambling chips, but blew the lot over the next four hours.
He returned to the hotel, climbed into bed and played dumb when his companions discovered the cash was missing and angrily confronted him.
Yanagida denied the theft, Ms McGarvie said, but police were called and the 23-year-old admitted he stole the money with the intention of turning it into a bigger sum on the tables, and had intended to return the $140,000 to the suitcase.
Yanagida considered Mr Kotani a paternal figure and mentor, the court heard, but he also owed the older man about $30,000 after borrowing money to cover his gambling debts, which had accumulated during previous tri…
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