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StumbleCaesars Palace to pay $250,000 over baccarat player’s table walk
Thursday, Aug. 26, 2010 | 1:50 a.m.
CARSON CITY – Caesars Palace has agreed to pay a $250,000 fine for allowing a man to walk and dance on a baccarat table while the game was being played.
Caesars Palace reached the settlement with the state Gaming Control Board, which filed a complaint charging the hotel-casino failed to take action to protect the game and the customer.
The settlement is to avoid litigation and will be presented for final approval to the Gaming Commission next month.
It is signed by Gary Selesner, senior vice present and general manager of Caesars Palace, and by gaming board members and Senior Deputy Attorney General Michael Somps, who drafted the complaint.
In the settlement, Caesars Palace admits the allegations in the complaint. The board said that on Oct. 10 last year a customer was playing in the high-limit baccarat room when, on three occasions, the player climbed onto the baccarat table from his chair.
The complaint alleges he walked on the table and made a bet before returning to stand on his chair and eventually sit down.
On one occasion, the player performed a dance on the table before returning to his chair.
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Now if he had taken his clothes off while doing his thing there wouldn't have been a problem.
The Baccarat Party Pits are apparently for the do-it-yourself type.
This is ridiculous ! Can't the Gaming Control Board go after more serious offenses like the fleecing of players with the tight slot machines and 6:5 BJ rip off??
Gaming hits Caesars Palace hard for something that did not damage to anyone.
Yet they issue a license to a known drunk that chokes taxi drivers.
Something is wrong with this picture.
Someone please explain to me what "law" was broken by the table dancer playing cards?
Wow, that means more cost cutting thorugh Harrahs properties to pay for that fine. I wonder how many cuts are coming as a result of this.
Who tipped off the Gaming Control Board about the incident?
If he was a decent dancer would the fine have been less?
And they got on me for talking on the phone at the blackjack tables. At least I didn't put footprints on the gaming table.
Can someone explain the disparity between the 10k fine Treasure Island paid for their recent incident and the 250k Caesars Palace must pay for this?
I'm not defending either violation, I'm just questioning what justifies the huge difference in the dollar amounts being levied against them?
But the silicon dancers are allowed to strip on the 6:5 b-j tables? This is also ridiculous!
From Switzerland
Good question denro.
The answer is fairly simple. While the surveillance cameras over the tables are used by casinos to catch players cheating, one of their primary purposes is to allow the Gaming Control Board to monitor the casino and make sure the casino isn't cheating the players. One requirement for that is that everything must be done in plain view of the cameras and the casinos must not allow the line of sight for the table cameras to be blocked.
When Caesars allowed the player onto the table, he blocked the line of sight for the camera and could have been covering for the casino doing something they weren't supposed to on the table. Probably not in this case since I believe that he was the only player at the table, but the principle remains the same. The casino is responsible for making sure that NOTHING interferes with line of sight on the surveillance cameras so that the GCB can make sure the house isn't cheating the players. They paid a significant fine for allowing something to happen that could have been a cover for a dishonest house.
The TI incident, while serious, only affected a single player. A casino allowing cameras to be blocked could, if the house were cheating, affect a large number of players. Therefore a larger fine for Caesars than TI.
And as to BorisR's comment, you'll find that Party Pit dancers etc. are always placed out of the line of sight between the surveillance cameras and any open tables.
Thanks for the info wendor, very interesting stuff.
wendor: how the heck did a reasonable, clear-thinking person like you get on this site?
everybody knows this is just another example of Harry Reid's extensive influence over all things Nevada.
Years ago, some guy tried getting on a BJ table at the Aladdin. Out of nowhere came two goons and grabbed the guy before he stepped off his chair on to the table.
I don't know where the guys came from and I don't where the went, but I know this... The guy went with them.
The game resumed, the pit boss came over and made some light talk and a few funny comments about the guy and called for the cocktail waitress to see if anybody wanted any drinks.
That was that, it was all over in less than 5 minutes from start to finish. Nobody put up with that kind of BS in casinos. I don't care who you were.
They cared about their business and they cared about their customers. Of course the cared about money too, but now its solely about money... You can do just about anything if you are a big enough loser.
Whoops, you're right. I forgot where I was posting. Please disregard my previous post. What I meant to say was that Metro should have shot the guy dancing on the table and replaced him with an illegal immigrant stripper dealing 6:5 blackjack and then sue over cabbies being given kickbacks to divert passengers to the table and it's all Harry Reid's fault except for the part that's Obama's fault....and Sharopn Agle....and uh, Yucca Mountain.
Whew....better?
NEVADA GAMING REGULATIONS STATE:
5.011 Grounds for disciplinary action. The board and the cmmission deem any activity on the part of any licensee, his agents or employees, that is inimical to the public health, safety, morals, and general welfare of the people of the State of Nevada, or that would reflect or tend to reflect discredit upon the State of Nevada or the gaming industry, to be an unsuitable method of operation and shall be grounds for disciplinary action by the board and the comminssion in accordance with the Nebada Gaming Control Act and the regulations of the board and the commission. WITHOUT LININITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, THE FOLLOWING ACTS OR OMISSIONS MAY BE DETERMINED TO BE UNSUITABLE METHOD OF OPERATION:
1 FAILURE TO EXERCISE DISCRETIION AND SOUND JUDGEMENT TO PREVENT INCIDENTS WHICH MIGHT REFLECT ON THE REPUTE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA AND ACT AS A DETRIMENT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY.
2 PERMITTING PERSONS WHO ARE VISIBLY INTOXICATED TO PARTICIPATE IN GAMING ACTIVITY.
3.COMPLIMNTARY SERVICE OF INTOXICATING BEVERAGES IN THE CASINO ARE TO PERSONS WHO ARE VISIBLY INTOXICATED.
IF YOU ARE WITNESS TO SUCH VIOLATIONS:
CALL 486-2020 ANONYMOUSLY!!!
I guess the state needs to plug the budget gap some how. What a ridiculous fine. Since when is standing on a table regulated by the stupid beurocrats
Another proof that this so-called board has totally gone bonkers and outlived its purpose.
" ... if I was the casino manager I would have kicked the guy out,no matter how much money he was losing."
That's why you're not the casino manager.
irishfighter,thanks for that post citing the ststute.
If that's the case, I wonder what ultimately Harrah's will be fined in the matter of the very intoxicated Mr. Terrence Watanabe?
it's somewhat weired to watch these b-j dancers in a crappy casino such as the Vegas Club and see that even despite huge efforts to create a fun atmosphere nobody really cares what's going on there in the corner. I don't support this silicon show as it doesn't give you what you want, anyway. If you ask the babe for her direct phone number all you get is a smile but nothing but that. They don't cross the line but consistently try to get tips out of your pockets. It's ridiculous. If I am looking for action I go to a Chinese massage or drive to Industrial Road.
From Switzerland
I'm sure the guy was a high-roller. I know if i did that,I'd get my ass kicked.
What a joke the State Gaming Control Board is.
They'll license a known triad family member for a new hotel/casino yet stick it to legit casinos.
The guy was a whale and he can do anything he wants because if you average out give and take over a period of time, the house wins....$250K is whale poop and don't mean a thing!
BRING IT ON!!!
if this went on more often maybe people would still fly across the country to see it. you can gamble almost anywhere in the USA but where else can you dance on the tables but VEGAS BABY!!! I LOVE IT!
BORIS, you dont like the dancers??? when im losing 6 mortgage payments on my week in SIN CITY i want to see all the honeys i can! as far as you not liking the dancers i see you had the time to ask for their phone #s.
IRISHFIGHTER (go green): are you for real? ive sat in most of these casinos & was approched by working girls EVERY TRIP, EVERY NIGHT. sometimes 2-3 per hour & in the nicer joints too (mandlay, planet hollywood ect.) so lets not kid ourselves about vegas' reputation!
as far as not letting intoxicated people gamble...'COME ON MAN' give me a break. the 12 to 20 people im there with every yr, the past 25yrs, will be drinking for 36 straight hours & have never been asked to leave or been refused/barred from gambling or the casino. in fact the only time ive ever been asked to 'move along' is when i fall asleep (i.e. pass out) at a table or slot & then, not escorted to my room or walked out the door, just 'woke up' so i can continue to GAMBLE. i have, on a rare occaision, been denied a beer (i think twice in 25+ years) or at least limited to 1 cocktail instaed of my usual 2. they just want our money by hook or by crook!! the one time i had something stolen from me, back in the 'good old' stardust days, i asked security (with in 5 minutes) to look at the security tapes to try to apprahend the culprit they basically dismissed me stating something to the effect of 'the cameras are to protect the casino not the patrons.' and yet, i still return.
hey, why do you think we come there? they promote the 'what happens here stays here' stuff. i wont pay $150 bucks for a show worth $40 but i'll give my money to you in other ways.
see ya all for march maddness 2011.
This is only news because the Gaming Control Board wants it to be. Heck, everyone these days are doing all they can to keep their jobs, the pub every now and then let's people know they are "earning" their salaries/pensions/benefits/bonuses.
Harrahs/MGM/Wynn/Sands dont need our tax money to fund client behavior oversite. I think they are capable of doing it themselves.