Gambling Debt Leads To Arrest Warrant For Former Pitcher Chacon

Athletes have enough money and star power that they always do not have to pay their gambling debts as soon as they occur. They are often issued markers from Las Vegas casinos, debts that can be paid at a later date.

Several athletes over the past couple of years, however, have decided that their celebrity is big enough that they do not have to pay back these debts. That has led to the arrest of some high profile athletes in sports such as baseball and basketball.

The latest arrest warrant came this week in Nevada. Former pitcher Shawn Chacon is being accused of running up a $150,000 debt at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, then failing to pay. The felony charge for Chacon is for passing three bad checks.

In Nevada, not paying for gambling markers at casinos is the equivalent to passing bad checks. They are looked upon as committing the same crime, and now Chacon will have to deal with this legal issue.

Chacon has shown over the past couple of years to have a volatile personality. He was released in 2008 by the Houston Astros for grabbing General Manager Ed Wade's by the neck and throwing him to the ground during a confrontation in the team's dining room.

In recent years, athletes such as the NBA's Antoine Walker have had run-ins with the law in Nevada for not paying gambling debts to state casinos. The highest profile case of non-payment of gambling markers may have been allegations against TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley.

October 3, 2009
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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