dna4ever 2 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Outcome predictions? I bolded some of the parts I found interesting.http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/07/...1.shtml?tag=pop(CBS) Terrance Watanabe was a fixture of the Caesars Palace and Rio casinos in Las Vegas, where in 2007 he went on a year-long gambling binge.The 52-year-old Omaha man had made a fortune running his family's party-favor import business, and he proceeded to lose much of it, going $127 million in the hole.His compulsion led him to practically live at the two casinos, sometimes playing roulette and $25 multi-line slot machines for 24 hours straight, or playing three hands of blackjack - each with a $50,000 limit - simultaneously.At one point, The Daily Mail reported, Watanabe lost $5 million in a single day.His total bets that year were $825 million - roughly equivalent to the gross domestic product of the British Virgin Islands.In a city of tourist attractions he became one himself. "It got to the point where people would go just to watch," one Vegas regular told the Daily Mail.And his profligacy was not limited to losing hands. Court documents say he often handed bundles of $100 bills to employees at Caesars. Two of his personal handlers at the casino testified that he handed out thousands of Tiffany gift cards or $100 coins to bartenders, nightclub operators, security guards and others, and even gave out free steaks.And one man's loss is another's gain: The Wall Street Journal reports that Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which owns Caesars Palace and Rio, derived about 5.6% of its total 2007 Las Vegas gambling revenue from Watanabe alone.Watanabe has paid back nearly $112 million of his debt to the casinos, but faces four felony counts of intent to defraud and steal. Earlier this year the Clark County District Attorney charged that Watanabe owes $14.7 million which Harrah's says it extended to the gambler as credit but that he refuses to pay back. Watanabe denies the charges, which could cost him 28 years behind bars.Now he has filed a civil suit, claiming casino staff regularly plied him with alcohol and painkillers in order to keep him gambling. Casino rules and state law both say anyone who is visibly intoxicated should not be allowed to gamble.A Harrah's executive said Watanabe's suit was merely a ploy to shirk responsibility and get out of paying a debt. "Mr. Watanabe is a criminal defendant who faces imprisonment," Harrah's senior vice president for communications and government relations Jan Jones told the Journal's Alexandra Berzon.According to the Journal, several former and current employees of Harrah's said they were told by their managers to let Watanabe keep betting even while he was visibly drunk, and were afraid they would be fired if they tried to prevent him from gambling.A Watanabe attorney told the Journal that while his client "takes full responsibility" for his drinking, the casinos "preyed" on Watanabe's condition.High rollers are catered to - often quite extravagantly - by their hosts, and at a time when overall gambling revenues in Vegas are down, the wallets of high rollers are particularly attractive.Watanabe said in court documents that the Wynn casino barred him in 2007 because of compulsive drinking and gambling, while the Harrah's Caesars and Rio casinos kept their doors open to him - throwing in a free 3-bedroom suite, attendants, and seven-course meals delivered to him while he was betting.Harrah's sweetened their invitation to him to gamble money at their tables by offering more incentives: tickets to the Rolling Stones, $12,500 a month for airfare, a half-million in credit at gift stores, and 15% cash back on table losses greater than $500,000."We're in the gambling business," Jones told the Journal. "We had no reason to believe that Terry Watanabe was anything other than a big player with huge resources who made an adult decision to bet the money he did. Are we going to provide an environment that keeps him very happy? Of course we are."By December of 2007, having learned of the extent of Watanabe's losses, his sister, Pam Watanabe-Gerdes, brought him home to Nebraska, and the following year - after another brief gambling stint - he entered a residential treatment facility.He hasn't been in a casino since, said Watanabe-Gerdes. He later sold his Omaha mansion and moved near San Francisco.The Journal notes that Nevada's Gaming Control Board has opened an investigation into the allegations that Harrah's violated gambling regulations. Link to post Share on other sites
bigcoled 1 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 The focal point of our society is one that is focused on your ability to devalue workers, while taking back as much as possible of what little you do give them, while playing on every weakness of human emotion to prostitute the general mass of society for everything that can seemingly be put into monetary worth in their lives...You can look at that statement and see it as an opportunity to flame me, do what you will... however, ignorance of a fact doesn't take it's truth away... We cannot complain or cry or moan about society taking advantage of us when we allow it to happen. This man had enough money to make a world of difference to a world of people, but he gave into his greed, his own empty, shallow greed... you look for punishment, what is punishment? If there is no rehabilitation there is no value, not monetary but true value... If you can rehabilitate something, you are admiting or realising that "better" exists... How do you punish a company, take money away? Money doesn't exist, companies don't exist, people exist... a company is an imaginary structure we choose to work within, just as is our government and societal structures... they are only there because we allow them to be... How do you rehabilitate a company?... The comapny was doing it's best to be successful in the current structures of our society and government that it is forced to survive within... here we find the realisation of not only "better" existing, but with that, potential... There is a potential for good in all things, for things to be focused around the betterment of people's well being... what is well being?... For something to be considered well, or good, it is something with direction, progress, not necessarily to create change, but to aid in living, to better the degree in which we live, the potential we have to gain knowledge, the focus we have to analyse and understand that knowledge, generally producing or working in the name of a good greater than themself... There we have it... a greater good... There is something better to work for than just ourself...We created a society who's focal point is money over the well being of the human race. This is where we have lost our direction. We are getting nowhere, but where ever we are getting we are getting there together. Monetary value doesn't exist beyond our planet, we tried to take something to build us up, by putting our faith in a structure or a means considered greater than that of humans, but if something doesn't have the ability to adapt it's way of life with the knowledge it gains through it's studies it is worthless for human cause. Furthermore, if you take something that's core intent is bad, evern if you have temprary good results those results won't be sustainable, or at the least would not be the most optimal use of potential... If life is a game, we have to realize it's not a 1 player game, the success you may see in your life is nothing compared to the progress you will find by the general mass of the human race throughout time... Our greatest potential for good is not in ourselves alone... Link to post Share on other sites
nutzzcase 0 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 idiot Link to post Share on other sites
bigcoled 1 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Just saying if in society humans are our prey and not our potential the system needs to change entirely from the core of its structure, this is just another example of why... Link to post Share on other sites
Royal_Tour 0 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 "We're in the gambling business," Jones told the Journal. "We had no reason to believe that Terry Watanabe was anything other than a big player with huge resources who made an adult decision to bet the money he did. Are we going to provide an environment that keeps him very happy? Of course we are." This.but the one thing i can see a judge looking at and saying..Ok I feel bad for the guy, is the 12k in airfare that Harrah's would pay..Thats kinda, sorta.. maybe... could potentially be spun into some form of entrapment? lol Link to post Share on other sites
vbnautilus 48 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 This.but the one thing i can see a judge looking at and saying..Ok I feel bad for the guy, is the 12k in airfare that Harrah's would pay..Thats kinda, sorta.. maybe... could potentially be spun into some form of entrapment? lolLuckily it doesn't matter whether the judge feels bad for him. His job is to apply the law. My understanding is that this is pretty much a settled issue and that cases like this simply don't succeed. But maybe the law types can weigh in. Wasn't there another one of these recently? Link to post Share on other sites
Jeepster80125 0 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 RT, there have been several threads related to irresponsible gamblers suing casinos in the last year or so, and I think the last one actually ended in the gamblers' favor. I'm sure you can search for them, my searchin' skills suck. Link to post Share on other sites
Merby 3 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Outcome predictions? I bolded some of the parts I found interesting....And his profligacy was not limited to losing hands. Court documents say he often handed bundles of $100 bills to employees at Caesars. Two of his personal handlers at the casino testified that he handed out thousands of Tiffany gift cards or $100 coins to bartenders, nightclub operators, security guards and others, and even gave out free steaks....You missed the most interesting point (highlighted in red). FCP should reconsider its policy in allowing free stake threads to be posted. You might consider yourselves the target of a civil suit when one of your members sues FCP for (up to) hundreds of dollars in lost stake revenue. Link to post Share on other sites
Acekob 0 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 You missed the most interesting point (highlighted in red). FCP should reconsider its policy in allowing free stake threads to be posted. You might consider yourselves the target of a civil suit when one of your members sues FCP for (up to) hundreds of dollars in lost stake revenue.It say's steaks, not stakes.. duhAnyone else hungry? Link to post Share on other sites
Image17 0 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Too many of these types of suits have sprung up in the past few years....you know what? TAKE RESPONSIBILTY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS. You're a grown man for God's sake...no one dragged you into that Casino (or any others I would suspect). You had your fun and got the rush you wanted from gambling, but now you expect others to pay for your good times? Why should they? they sure as sh*t don't do it for the rest of us.Stop being a pussy and take your losses like a man...would they whine and bitch if he won?...don't think so. Link to post Share on other sites
GeneralGeeWhiz 0 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 idiot Link to post Share on other sites
MaxStPolish 4 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Too many of these types of suits have sprung up in the past few years....you know what? TAKE RESPONSIBILTY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS. You're a grown man for God's sake...no one dragged you into that Casino (or any others I would suspect). You had your fun and got the rush you wanted from gambling, but now you expect others to pay for your good times? Why should they? they sure as sh*t don't do it for the rest of us.Stop being a pussy and take your losses like a man...would they whine and bitch if they won?...don't think so.no. because they wouldn't win. Pretty sure that's the way it's set up, lol. Link to post Share on other sites
Merby 3 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Too many of these types of suits have sprung up in the past few years....you know what? TAKE RESPONSIBILTY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS. You're a grown man for God's sake...no one dragged you into that Casino (or any others I would suspect). You had your fun and got the rush you wanted from gambling, but now you expect others to pay for your good times? Why should they? they sure as sh*t don't do it for the rest of us.Stop being a pussy and take your losses like a man...would they whine and bitch if they won?...don't think so.I think they're just hedging their bets... Link to post Share on other sites
Mercury69 3 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Fuck him. He's a retard and should suck it up. Link to post Share on other sites
bigcoled 1 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Too many of these types of suits have sprung up in the past few years....you know what? TAKE RESPONSIBILTY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS. You're a grown man for God's sake...no one dragged you into that Casino (or any others I would suspect). You had your fun and got the rush you wanted from gambling, but now you expect others to pay for your good times? Why should they? they sure as sh*t don't do it for the rest of us.Stop being a pussy and take your losses like a man...would they whine and bitch if they won?...don't think so.First you should try to understand he's doing what he thinks is in his best interest to ensure his greatest success in this sick current societal and government structure he is forced to survive inside... Link to post Share on other sites
Royal_Tour 0 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 Fuck him. He's a retard and should suck it up.This is standard tho.Because annyone with 125 million should be enjoying life..(an argument can be made that His passion is to gamble) but then I'd say.. why gamble with so much? Then you'd say, to this guy its like a drug. and He gets off on betting amounts that make him sick to his stomach.Then i'd say, well he has an addiction similar to a drug addiction, and therefor he needs to be held accountable. However, if someone became addicted to a drug like Accutane, and they were obsessed with clear skin, and this addiction to accutane lead to health complications, they could and would probably win a lawsuit against the makers of Accutane claiming that the drug was addictive.the difference is one is a chemical (physical) addiction, and the other is a mental addiction. But, get a good team of lawyers who can make the case that the utopian type life style he was living due in part to the casino's giving him such great service is in fact a euforia, and creates a chemical addiction within his brain. Link to post Share on other sites
redhollywood 0 Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 yeah I forsee him losing the lawsuit, paying back the money, and if the allegations of harrah's and the rio allowing him to play while visibly drunk turn out to be true then they will suffer some consequence from the Nevada Gaming Commision and everyone will go on with their lives. Link to post Share on other sites
grocery_mony 8 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Casino rules and state law both say anyone who is visibly intoxicated should not be allowed to gamble.LOL if they really enforced this business would be down 80%Steve Wynn personally met with him and barred him from his casinos thinking he had a serious problem. Link to post Share on other sites
finztotheleft 0 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 LOL if they really enforced this business would be down 80%Steve Wynn personally met with him and barred him from his casinos thinking he had a serious problem.Great. Wantanabe's lawyers will call him as a witness and say Harrah's should have known enoough to ban him too. Link to post Share on other sites
Whatever 1 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 The only winner in this story is Steve Wynn. Link to post Share on other sites
Whatever 1 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Also, I wonder what life is like for the Clark County District Attorney? Link to post Share on other sites
nutzbuster 7 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 The only winner in this story is Steve Wynn.definitely a Wynn Wynn Link to post Share on other sites
Whatever 1 Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Also, I wonder what life is like for the Clark County District Attorney?Like do you think he works on commission? Link to post Share on other sites
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