It’s common knowledge that many casinos will make major concessions and tolerate a wide range of behavior to keep high rollers happy. A look into just how far some casinos are willing to go these days amidst extremely fierce competition in the Northeast for gambling revenue was a topic of conversation at a recent gaming hearing in Connecticut, according to a report from the AP.
A pit boss at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut reportedly told tribal gaming regulators that the casino industry is allowing even more to fly than it did in the past. The employee, who has been in the casino industry for three decades, cited examples of a high roller being allowed to urinate on a wall and another being given a refrigerator full of bananas so that he could squeeze and throw them as he gambled.
Talk about an odd way to mitigate tilt.
The testimony was part of a hearing on an incident involving a casino employee changing the rules of a game to cater to a professional golfer. The casino wasn’t happy that the gambler was granted the ability to place late bets at the blackjack table and fired the employee.
Nearby Massachusetts several years ago authorized three Las Vegas-style casinos and one slots parlor. The slots parlor is open, and the casinos are moving, albeit very slowly, toward becoming a reality. New York also recently approved a plan for a handful of commercial casinos.
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Gaming revenue at Connecticut’s two tribal casinos fell to under $2 billion in 2014. In 2006, gaming revenue was $3.2 billion. New Jersey’s Atlantic City has seen its gaming revenues fall even more drastically during that span, which resulted in a string of closings last year.
While most business relationships between casinos and high rollers happen without incident, once in awhile the dealings are criticized by gaming regulators for going too far.
Two years ago, a casino company operating in Atlantic City and a man who had lost more than $120 million gambling in 2007 made headlines after the operator was fined $225,000 by Garden State regulators for failing to kick out the belligerent high roller. The gambler, Terrance Watanabe, had been accused of not paying $14.7 million loaned to him by the casino.
Watanabe was considered one of the biggest whales the casino industry has ever seen.
Two lawsuits pitting the Borgata in Atlantic City against poker pro Phil Ivey are the result of that casino catering to Ivey’s demands in 2012 baccarat sessions. Unbeknownst to the casino, Ivey asked for certain accommodations as part of an edge sorting strategy that he maintains is “sheer skill.” The casino alleges it was cheating.
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