Gaming Law International

120,000 Swiss have gambling problems

Interesting article here on Swissinfo.ch on the expansion of gambling in Switzerland and the fact that approximately 120,000 Swiss have a gambling addiction or a problem with gambling. According to the article, research by the Neuchâtel University’s Institute of Economic Research, determined that the social costs of gambling addiction is between CAD$564 million and CAD$681 million annually. 

Parents charged with child endangerment for allegedly leaving 1-year-old in car while they gambled

The parents of a 1-year-old and a 10-year-old were charged with child endangerment in Connecticut after police say they left their children alone in a car while they gambled at the Foxwoods Resort Casino for about an hour. Police said the couple's children were turned over to the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Almost every land-based casino reports a handful of similar incidents every year in which parents, grandparents or other caregivers, leave children in vehicles unattended while they gamble. Most gambling jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S. require surveillance cameras be installed in casino parking garages and entrances to monitor this type of activity. 

Pharmaceutical companies sued over drug allegedly tied to compulsive gambling

More than 100 people who claim they developed a gambling habit after taking drugs used to treat Parkinson’s disease have filed a class action lawsuit in Australia against Pfizer and Aspen Pharmacare. The claimants allege they lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and suffered family breakdowns because of compulsive gambling behaviour caused by the drugs. The drugs implicated are Cabaser, sold by Pfizer, and Permax, sold by Aspen. The class action suit claims Pfizer and Aspen failed to warn of increased risk of compulsive disorders. In 2008, a jury in Minnesota awarded US$8.2 million to a man who became a compulsive gambler after using Mirapex, a drug sold by Boehringer Ingelheim, to treat Parkinson’s disease.

Possibly the world's worst gambling addiction

Terrance Watanabe, the Omaha businessman who ran the Oriental Trading Company for many years, is in court defending criminal charges over a US$14.75 million gambling debt Harrah's alleges he owes them. In one year, Watanabe spent US$204 million gambling at the Rio and Caesars Palace - both Harrah's properties in Las Vegas. Watanabe paid back at least US$112 million. By all accounts, he likely holds the world's record for the largest sum of money ever gambled and lost in a commercial casino in a year. 

Class action problem gambling lawsuit not certified

Ontario Superior Court Justice Maurice Cullity ruled against certification of a $3.5 billion class action lawsuit against the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation this week that had been filed on behalf of a class of Ontario problem gamblers. The litigation alleged that the OLGC failed in its duty to prevent persons who had signed self-exclusion forms from continuing to gamble in Ontario. The Court heard that the OLGC has paid out an average of $167,000 per case to settle nine lawsuits with problem gamblers. Counsel for the class intends to appeal the ruling.

Gambling Addiction Awareness Week in US

It's National Problem Gambling Awareness Week in the US. The NPGAA is a campaign by the US National Council on Problem Gambling to educate the public about problem gambling. We don't have a similar awareness campaign on a national level in Canada although we have similar gambling addiction problems but on a much smaller scale. Of all the stories I've read about NPGAA over the past few days, Michael Burke's post here called "Allen Iverson Should Accept This Crisis as a Gift" is the best. 

US lawyer with gambling addiction suspended after stealing to feed addiction

Ohio lawyer Michelle Smithern lost her license to practice law indefinitely today after a hearing by the Akron Bar Association. Smithern started gambling on the internet in 2004 and as she continued to gamble, she also began using alcohol in excess. Over a two-year period, she took about $108,000 from her firm to gamble online. In 2009, she was convicted of felony theft for stealing.

US lawyer accused of stealing US$2.4M from client for gambling

Thomas Koch, a Milwaukee lawyer, has admitted stealing US$2.4 million from a client over a five year period to gamble, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. He was a regular customer at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino, whose website surprisingly spells "paysbig.com." Koch is no longer practicing law and is seeking treatment at a gambling addiction centre. If convicted, Koch faces a ten year prison sentence. 

Etherington reveals large gambling losses

28-year-old UK football player Matthew Etherington admitted he lost about US$2 million gambling before he gave it up. He was asked by family members to seek help for his addiction last year and disclosed that he had attended Gambling Anonymous meetings in Birmingham. You can read more here.

British book-keeper took US$2 million from employer to gamble over the Internet

In Britain today, 23-year-old Bryan Benjafield pleaded guilty in Dorchester Crown Court to stealing more than $2 million from his employer to gamble over the Internet. Benjafield's employer, Charminster Limited, was forced into administration as a result of the theft.  The court will consider sentencing in a few weeks time.

UK banker facing prison term for stealing to gamble over the Internet

According to the Glasgow Daily Record, banker Graham Price is expected to be sentenced today for allegedly stealing more than $21 million from the local Halifax Bank in Swansea Wales and from elderly investors to gamble over the Internet. He was caught when auditors found an IOU he had written in the Bank's safe for £7 million.