Nevada Gaming Law Does Not Protect Drunken Gambler

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It's not my fault I'm a drunken loser, says a California man to a casino. Guess what they say?

A man who says he was too drunk to know what he was doing is suing the Las Vegas casino that plied him with alcohol during his 17-hour gambling run, during which he lost $500,000. He says that his inebriation - and subsequent poor decision making - was the casino's fault and that he shouldn't have to pay the debt.

Personal responsibility? Yeah, no thanks. But does a casino that plies someone with booze have a duty to protect him from his own bad decision-making?

Although casinos kind of make their living on people's poor decision-making, there are some casino regulations that make them at least a little responsible for the well-being of the people they entice to keep gambling by keeping them drinking.

The Nevada gaming control laws prevent casinos from permitting visibly intoxicated patrons from continuing to gamble and from providing free drinks in the gaming areas to people who are visibly intoxicated. That said, this is not a novel argument.

From Al Brook's character in Lost In America "Don't say nest. Don't say egg", to Leonard Tose to a New York lawyer, others have argued the casino's responsibility for their gambling losses, and, as this California gentleman may also find out the hard way, they've lost their case in addition to their money.

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