The Rat Pack never had to deal with this...

(Sudiegirl says...you know, this isn't an unusual situation in Vegas. If anyone reads up on Judy Garland lore, she had to do an extra gig to pay for her hubby's gambling debts. But ya know, you're not goin' to Vegas for a Baptist tract convention...you're at the very least going to watch the freaks, you know? Why can't people take responsibility? Comments interspersed...)

Gambler Sues MGM Mirage, Says Preyed on Addiction
55 minutes ago

Oddly Enough - Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Southern California man has sued MGM Mirage for preying on his gambling addiction and inducing him to borrow and lose millions of dollars at its Las Vegas casinos.
(Gee, if that's the legal principle, then every mall in America should be closed to me, as well as every Staples, Office Depot and Hallmark store. Dairy Queen is relatively safe...)

The suit was filed on Monday in a Los Angeles U.S. District Court by Shibley Horaney, a resident of Newport Beach, California, who says that since 1995 he has lost and paid back about $4 million on credit provided to him by the MGM Grand and $1 million on credit from The Mirage casino.
(OK, what kind of name is Shibley Horaney? It sounds like the name of a factory that makes the little plastic things at the end of shoelaces...aglets, I think, is the industrial term. Also, if he's winning, losing, and paying back that much, he'd probably bet on whether or not the paperboy tosses the Sunday Times in the bushes or through the window.)

In 2003, he borrowed and lost another $475,000, which the casinos are still seeking to collect.
Alan Feldman, a spokesman for MGM Mirage, declined to comment specifically on Horaney's suit, but said similar lawsuits in the past have been shown to have no merit.
(Well, DUH! My god, what kind of money-hungry lawyer would even consider taking a case like this? Does Horaney need a safety warning on his toilet brush, or supervised when watching "Fear Factor" like the brain trust in Cleveland?)

"There are lots of cases where people make their own decisions and choices then turn around and sue the casino," he said.
(Yep...they're called parasites.)

The suit alleges that MGM contacted Horaney over the phone and by mail over a period of at least nine years, offering to provide free transportation and hotel rooms as well as lines of credit to gamble at the casinos.
(They're called "comps", Mr. Horaney...when you spend so much money at a casino, they give you free stuff to entice you more, and if you have a gambling problem to begin with YOU'RE the one that has to say no, not them. They're just doing business, and you have an addictive personality. Deal with it...)

The lawsuit argues that California law bars such predatory conduct and does not allow collection of gambling losses.
(Yeah, but the lawsuit ain't in CA, it's in NV! What's the difference anyway? The guy is still a schmuck, and this is his responsibility! Casinos make money by people coming in and gambling, and he should know that this is a pretty huge sum of money. I think even ol' Donald Trump would look at it and say, "This is a chunk of change here. Oh, yeah...YOU'RE FIRED!")

Sudiegirl's final word:

This blame game crap really chaps my a**. Get a grip, Mr. Horaney, and call Gamblers Anonymous.