The gambling world can sometimes produce really off-the-wall stories. Every month there are plenty of cases of individuals going to extreme lengths to pay back debts, or of simply bizarre behavior at casino properties around the globe. It can be entertaining and sometimes sad.
June was no exception, as there was plenty that happened in the casino world.
Here’s a look at some of the most colorful and noteworthy from the month that was.
Tennis Star Drops $557,000 In French Open Winnings Playing Blackjack At A Casino
Tennis player Ernests Gulbis, who recently made the semifinals of the French Open, said that he was so tilted by his exit out of the event that he went to a Latvian casino and lost all of his $557,000 in prize money.
“After losing to Djokovic, I returned to Latvia with my cousin and I went to the Casino,” Gulbis told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I bet all prize money won in Paris and I lost it.”
Man Carjacks Taxi Driver To Pay Off Gambling Debt
A New Jersey man accused of carjacking a taxi driver at knifepoint in Staten Island last month told police he did so to pay off a gambling debt, according to silive.com.
Michael Ruocco, 23, confessed to the robbery in a statement to police, according to the criminal complaint against him.
“I called a cab company in New Jersey. When I got to Staten, it came to my head to tell him to give me his money,” Ruocco said, according to the complaint. “I had a debt with somebody over gambling and felt I had no choice but to do what I did.”
Court Says That Joe Francis Still Has To Pay Steve Wynn $19 Million For Defamation
A court in Los Angeles upheld a $19 million judgement in a slander case between “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis and Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn, the AP reported.
Years ago, and after racking up a $2 million gambling debt at one of Wynn’s casinos, Francis claimed that Wynn threatened to kill him and have him buried in the desert. Francis said that the threats were made over email. The then 70-year-old Wynn denied the claims, adding that he has never sent an email in his entire life.
In 2012, a court sided with Wynn and said Francis owed him $40 million. That judgement was eventually cut down to $19 million.
World Cup Biter Loses Web Poker Sponsorship
Online poker site 888 dropped Luis Suárez as one of its brand “ambassadors” after the soccer player apparently bit another player during a recent World Cup game.
Suárez, who is from Uruguay, has been accused of biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini. FIFA reportedly is reviewing the incident, even though Suárez wasn’t penalized during the match. He could be booted from the tournament. Suárez has been suspended twice previously for biting sweaty football players during matches.
Gambler In Las Vegas Almost Loses $350,000 On World Cup Match, Saved By Last-Minute Goal
According to a report from ESPN, a gambler in Las Vegas almost lost a total of $350,000 on Iran vs. Argentina in the 2014 World Cup.
Argentina was such a massive favorite in the match, but it took a last-minute goal from Lionel Messi to secure the win.
According to the report: “An unnamed better staked $230,000 on Argentina to beat Iran at a William Hill outlet at Las Vegas’ Tuscany Casino. Such were the short odds of such a bet, it would only return a profit of $20,000. According to company spokesman Michael Grodsky, it was the largest wager on the World Cup taken by William Hill, but that did not stop the same customer returning to put another $120,000 on the same outcome.”
Former Cop Pleads Guilty To Seizing, Then Selling, Illegal Gambling Machines
A former Columbia, SC, deputy sheriff pleaded guilty to seizing illegal electronic gambling machines and then selling them for his personal gain, instead of turning them in as contraband. According to greenvilleonline.com, Michael Parker, 37, is facing up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced “at a later date.”
U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said Parker “corruptly seized a number of illegal poker machines from local businesses and then redistributed the same illegal poker machines from which he personally benefited financially” between 2010 and 2012.
Racetrack Mistakenly Overpays Gambler $6,000; Gambler Faces Possible Felony Theft Charge
According to the Omaha World-Herald, authorities in Omaha were looking for a customer who was mistakenly overpaid nearly $6,000 on a wager by a cashier at Horsemen’s Park. The gambler handed the cashier a ticket for $63.50, but an employee error on the computer resulted in him being handed over a lot more in winnings.
The man allegedly left the property in a hurry after realizing what had happened.
The decision could cost him dearly, as authorities could charge the man with felony theft, the report said. The head of security at the racetrack filed a police report for theft. If charged, and convicted, the customer could face up to five years in prison.
Pennsylvania Man Accused Of Stealing Nearly 100 Tons Of Copper To Fund Gambling Habit
A Pennsylvania man hugely addicted to blackjack, slots, sports betting and scratch-off lottery tickets has been accused of stealing nearly 100 tons of copper—valued at more than $730,000—from his former employer.
According to Philly.com, 45-year-old James Bryan allegedly stole from his employer of 27 years, Wescott Electric, from 2003 to 2013. Over a 17-month period between 2012 and 2013, he allegedly made 164 trips to a recycling center, selling the coils of copper wire.
Administrator Creates Bogus University Scholarship, Diverts Money To Pay Off Gambling Debt
An administrator at a fundraising organization that benefits the University of Hawaii system used his position to write a phony scholarship for the Manoa campus and then siphoned off the money to pay back $2,000 to his bookie.
According to Hawaii News Now, Dodge Watson pleaded guilty to one count of identity theft in district court. His plea allowed him to avoid charges for money laundering and running an internet gambling business. “He created a scholarship at his job at the UH and basically diverted the money from the scholarship to pay off his gambling debt,” his attorney Eric Seitz said.
Golden Nugget Atlantic City Wins Favorable Ruling In Case Of $1.5 Million Baccarat Scandal
A judge ruled in favor of the Golden Nugget Atlantic City in a high-stakes court battle over more than $1.5 million in scandalous mini-baccarat winnings.
On the night of April 30, 2012, a group of 14 gamblers noticed that cards being used for mini-baccarat were not shuffled. They increased their bets from $10 to $5,000 a hand, eventually taking the house for a massive sum. They cashed out $558,900, but there was $977,800 in chips the casino refused to redeem.
According to media reports, a Chicago man who was freed from prison after serving 32 years for a murder he more than likely didn’t commit, has now been accused of a new crime—killing a man over a dispute in a game of dice.
Andre Davis spent more than three decades in a supermax prison after being convicted of heinous acts of violence against a three-year-old girl in 1980. In 2004, it was determined that it wasn’t Davis’ DNA at the crime scene. It took eight years before the state finally decided to let the 53-year-old out of prison. Prosecutors declined to take Davis to trial again.
Fast forward to October 2013, and Davis allegedly helped his nephew, Derrick Hilliard, kill 19-year-old Jamal Harmon, who was found in a Chicago alley shot and stabbed to death.
Molly Bloom: During Poker Game, Tobey Maguire Told Me To ‘Bark Like A Seal Who Wants A Fish’
According to Molly Bloom, who was dubbed the “Poker Princess” for hosting high-stakes underground games that catered to celebrities, actor Tobey Maguire is terrible to have at your home poker game.
The New York Post reported that in an excerpt from her new book (“Molly’s Game”) published by Vanity Fair, Bloom said that Maguire once asked her to “bark like a seal who wants a fish” for a $1,000 chip. Maguire also was “the worst tipper,” despite consistently being the biggest winner, Bloom said.
