Dismissing the lawsuit
A judge has ruled that casinos in Atlantic City do not have a legal obligation to stop problem gamblers from placing bets. U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Cox Arleo explained that the “defendants do not owe a negligence common law duty of care to plaintiffs” as per the state’s current laws.
claims that the company tried to pay him to not report glitches
The decision was part of a case in which a problem gambler sued the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and its parent company MGM Resorts International for allegedly encouraging him to gamble online through BetMGM by providing bonuses despite his issues. He claims that the operator tried to pay him to not report glitches to the state’s regulator after he was allegedly frequently disconnected mid-game when he had winning hands.
Judge Arleo dismissed the complaint, saying New Jersey’s rules and regulations do not legally require casinos to stop compulsive gamblers. She cited two other cases in the state where people unsuccessfully sued casinos for their losses.
Not giving up the fight
The plaintiff in the case plans to appeal the decision and believes that the laws need changing to protect vulnerable individuals. Sam Antar said that it’s a countrywide issue and his appeal will contend that the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act is intended to protect people from “unconscionable” acts from companies.
placed more than 100,000 bets totalling $30m
Antar placed more than 100,000 bets totaling $30m over a nine-month period in 2019, but the lawsuit did not specify how much money he lost while doing so. Antar himself is unsure of an exact sum and his lawyer said that it’s at least six figures in size.
Sam Antar has spent time in prison for various offenses, including taking money through a fraudulent investment scheme and committing federal securities fraud. He is the nephew of the Crazy Eddie electronics chain owner Eddie Antar, who defrauded investors out of over $74m.
No precedent
Another case that MGM cited in its defense was a ruling in 2008 by a federal judge against a New York gambler who lost almost $1m gambling at seven casinos in Atlantic City. The judge in that case said that just because the casinos “profited from her misfortune, while lamentable, does not establish a cognizable claim in the law.”
MGM claims that it did nothing to worsen Antar’s problem and didn’t create it in the first place. It also highlighted that Antar was a twice-jailed fraudster who appeared to be trying to get back some money through the lawsuit.