Judge: Casinos have no duty to dissuade compulsive gamblers

Atlantic City Skyline

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A Judge in the Borgata/MGM case rules casinos have no duty to stop compulsive gamblers from betting. In response to a lawsuit filed by a self-described problem gambler, Atlantic City's casinos have no legal obligation to stop compulsive gamblers from their willful spending behaviors. U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Cox Arleo dismissed a lawsuit by Sam Antar against The Borgata and its parent company, MGM Resorts International, of plying him with offers to gamble despite knowing about his addiction. The defendant argued that voluminous rules and regulations governing gambling in New Jersey do not impose a legal duty upon casinos to cut off compulsive gamblers. The state casino law "pervasively regulates the responsibilities of casinos as they relate to compulsive gamblers, i.e. 1-800 gambler anonymous' disclaimers, messages and billboards but not so much with betting practices inside the casinos/ on-line. So..what's next? Liquor stores blocking alcoholics from purchases? Amazon posting warning boxes against purchasing things we really don't need? Previously, the judge in this case cited two previous cases in which a gambler and a patron who claimed to have lost money while drunk sued unsuccessfully. Looking for money in all the wrong places. That sounds like a Country song!"


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