Another High Roller Blames Casino

Another high roller has cried foul over casino ploys to encourage gambling and has refused to pay gambling debts of over $12 million.

Nebraska based multi-millionaire Terrence Watanabe has been indicted on theft and bad-check charges after failing to pay gambling debts of $12.7 million and $ 2 million racked up at Caesars Palace and the Rio respectively during a 3 month betting binge during 2007.

But Watanabe and his lawyers claim the casinos plied him with alcohol, and at times pain killers to keep him at the gambling tables. His legal team claim he was in such an incoherent state that he was "incapable of forming the criminal intent" to avoid paying his gambling debts in a letter to prosecutors.

The letter also revealed that Watanabe lost $112 that same year at Harrah's!

His wealth apparently comes from a family wholesale novelty item importing business started by his father. Watanabe's philanthropy in Nebraska and country wide is well known.

It's been an interesting news week for high rollers. Just yesterday it was revealed that a Crown Casino (Melbourne) high roller was suing the casino for ignoring requests to voluntarily exclude himself from their gaming tables. In that case, the player lost over $30 million.

Both stories highlight the extreme measures some casinos go to to hold on to high rollers. Alcohol, pain killers, use of casino private jets, butlers, free penthouse suites and cash bags are among the methods revealed in the two recent cases making the news.