A Nevada Superior Court Judge Ruled the Golden Nugget Is Not Liable for 2012 Losses at Mini-Baccarat
The Golden Nugget in Las Vegas is not liable for $1.5 million in winnings they received during an unshuffled cards controversy, according to Nevada Superior Court Judge James Isman. The racketeering lawsuit stemmed from an April 2012 incident at a mini-baccarat table.
While 14 gamblers were playing at the Nugget’s mini-baccarat table, the gamblers noticed that the dealing shoe had not been shuffled. The gamblers figured out which cards were coming, so nine of the gamblers upped their wagers from $10 a hand to $5,000 a hand and won 41 straight hands of baccarat. These nine gamblers ended up winning $560,000, while casino security prevented the other five players from cashing out another $1 million in chips. The casino detained these five players, who sued for unlawful detention. Meanwhile, a racketeering lawsuit was filed against the Golden Nugget, for refusing to pay their debts.
Attempts to Settle out of Court
After losing an early round of the legal battle in September 2013, the Golden Nugget offered the 5 detained players the $1 million in cash, if they would drop their illegal detention case against the Golden Nugget. The players refused, so Golden Nugget’s owner Tilman Fertitta withdrew his offer to them. Meanwhile, the Nugget sued the nine players who had cashed out before security caught on to the activity, hoping to return the $560 thousand.
After Friday’s dismissal by the judge, a Golden Nugget spokesman said the casino was “vindicated” for their actions in the case. Though the racketeering charges have been dismissed by the Superior Court, the illegal detention case is still active. In his Friday ruling, Judge Isman gave his approval for Golden Nugget to continue with its counter-suit, trying to retrieve the $560k. The judge stated the playing circumstances did not fall within the legal definition of a fair game.
Sands Bethlehem Fined Again for Underage Gambling
The Las Vegas Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania was fined once again for allowing underage gambling. This is the fifth time in five years the Sands Bethlehem has been sanctioned by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
The Gaming Control Board fined the Sands Casino $85 thousand for allowing six different people under the age of 21, including two 17 year old minors, to drink alcohol and gamble while on the casino floor. The casino’s total penalties for infractions over the past 5 years totals $305,000.
Sheldon Adelson and Underage Gambling
In the wake of the latest scandal, online pundits have jeered at Sheldon Adelson, the CEO of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Adelson is leading the battle against online gambling, despite becoming the eighth-wealthiest person on the planet exclusively through gaming revenues. One of Sheldon Adelson’s main contentions against online gambling is the fact sites cannot screen out underage gamblers, who therefore are prone to exploitation.
The Sands Corporation has tried to counter such criticism by reframing the debate. Sands attorney Fred Kraus suggested the casino had screened out many potential underage gamblers, saying their corporation has “a robust program. But human beings being human beings, mistakes are made.”
Prohibited Campaign Donations
According to the Philly.com website, campaign finance reports showed Sheldon Adelson made a $1 million donation to the reelection campaign of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. By Pennsylvanian law, contributions from casino operators are barred from making such donations. The gaming news website alleged that the donation was made using a false ID.
The donation was not direct, though. Adelson donated $1,000,000 to the Republican Governors Association. The RGA then made a prompt donation of $987,844 to the RGA Pennsylvania 2014 PAC. Sands spokesman Ron Reese told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Sands Corp has made it “crystal clear from the beginning” that Adelson’s contributions weren’t to be used in Pennsylvania.
Since Las Vegas Sands Corp went from being a second-tier player in Las Vegas to the world’s most profitable gaming company, Sheldon Adelson has become the largest single political donor for the U.S. Republican Party. In 2012, Adelson spent between $90 million to $100 million of his personal cash to fund GOP candidates and political action committees, along with the Republican National Committee. Adelson tried to defeat Barack Obama’s reelection campaign, but his money could not unseat the president.
Despite that lack of success, Adelson’s money helped GOP candidates across the nation. It is expected that the Sands CEO will be the largest Republican donor against in 2016. Now the 8th-richest man in the world, most experts expect the money he spends to be far in excess of the $90 million from two years ago. This is why Republican presidential hopefuls have streamed to Las Vegas to gain the 80-year old CEO’s favor, while so many GOP politicians have shown interest in his anti-online gambling initiatives.
