Excessive Gambling Loss And Alcohol Should Not Mix In Las Vegas

Alcohol and gambling have gone hand in hand for decades in the US. Casinos typically use free alcohol as a way to keep gamblers playing on the tables in Las Vegas and other areas of the country where casinos are prevalent.

Recently, Terrance Watanabe's story has caught the attention of some people around the country. Watanabe filed a suit against Harrah's, claiming that employees at two Harrah's casinos kept feeding him alcohol and prescription drugs while he was losing over a hundred million dollars in 2007.

Watanabe and Harrah's have settled their suit and counter-suit, but officials in Nevada are still investigating the allegations against Harrah's. Eventually, the outcome may be a change in the way that alcohol is freely offered while gamblers are at the tables.

"They should consider coming up with a policy that when a certain amount of money has been lost, a casino can no longer serve alcohol at the table," said Bill Thompson, a professor emeritus at UNLV, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "In this case, the amount of money lost was so extreme that the casino had to be on notice that the gambler did not have full control."

The issue of alcohol and gambling has been addressed at some casinos in the US. There are casinos that no longer give out free drinks to gamblers at the tables. Other casinos are known to closely monitor the amount of alcohol a patron is consuming, and when they feel it necessary, the cut off the gambler.

Harrah's claims that Watanabe's claims are false and they are standing by their current rules regarding alcohol. Harrah's also claims to be one of the leaders in ensuring responsible gaming and alcohol consumption.

Nevada does have a law on the books that calls for casinos to deny gamblers who appear visibly drunk the right to gamble. The grey area in the law, however, allows casinos to define "visibly drunk" on their own.

July 11, 2010
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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