In a written decision last month the Casino, Liquor, Gaming and Control Authority fined Peter Francis Dobb $2920, after he admitted $730 in payments were unlawful cash advances.

But he rejected allegations from the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing that a further $4455 of transactions were loans or repayments of loans from or to regular customers to spend on beer and poker machines and other items.

The official complaint to the authority was dated March 10, 2010, but stemmed from a complaint to the office in 2007.

Mr Dobb was the licensee of the hotel from October 2006 to September 2008. The current licensee was not the subject of any complaint.

The office submitted that two inspectors visited the hotel to investigate in October 2007.

They reported finding and seizing a number of TAB betting tickets and other pieces of paper with names or nicknames written on them and sums of money, what appeared to be records of payment and a deposit book.

The names included ‘‘Beryl’’, ‘‘Dapto’’, ‘‘Chief’’, ‘‘Supa’’ and ‘‘Vinnie’’.

The inspectors said they interviewed several parties including ‘‘Beryl’’ who said she regularly borrowed money before pension day to buy cigarettes and ‘‘a couple of beers’’.

Another punter claimed he borrowed money to play the pokies because he sometimes exceeded his key card limit.

But Mr Dobb said some records related to invoices the hotel had issued for items including an 18th birthday function and two beer kegs for a soccer final.

Other records related to patrons’ money that was held in the hotel safe to mind.

The office argued the invoices were handwritten and may have been drawn up after the event.

It conceded a $55 record marked ‘‘roo chooks’’ was paid to Red Lea Chickens before a chook raffle.

The authority concluded it would need to hear from witnesses who lived out of the area to discover the truth of the $4400.

It noted the ‘‘likely costs’’ of further investigations and the amount in dispute then opted to rule on the payments Mr Dobb conceded.

Mr Dobb’s solicitor Paul Sullivan said yesterday his client now ran another country hotel and had not been the subject of any further matters.