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Mona Shield Payne/Special to the Sun
Former NBA all-star Antoine Walker waits to be called by Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson during his arraignment hearing Monday, June 14, 2010, on failing to repay $900,000 in gambling debts at the Regional Justice Center.
By Dave Toplikar (contact) 
Published Monday, June 14, 2010 | 9 a.m.
Updated Monday, June 14, 2010 | 10:08 a.m.
Sun Archives
- Ex-NBA star Antoine Walker to pay $12,835 monthly in gambling debt case (11-30-2010)
- Hearing set for ex-NBA star Antoine Walker in $822,500 gambling debt case (11-12-2009)
- Court date reset for ex-NBA star’s Vegas debt case (9-16-2009)
- Ex-NBA star appears in Vegas court in debt case (7-20-2009)
- Casinos say former NBA star owes $822,500 in gambling debts (7-14-09)
Former NBA all-star Antoine Walker will appear later this month in Clark County District Court to face felony bad check charges for failing to meet obligations to repay some $900,000 in gambling debts and penalties to three Las Vegas casinos.
The 6-foot-9 Walker appeared briefly this morning in Las Vegas Justice Court, where he reaffirmed he had agreed to waive his right to a preliminary hearing before Justice of the Peace Melanie Andress-Tobiasson.
Andress-Tobiasson set Walker's initial appearance in district court for 1:30 p.m. June 30 on criminal charges that could get him up to 12 years in prison.
Walker, who has filed for bankruptcy, claims $12.7 million in liabilities and $4.3 million in assets -- including the 2006 NBA championship ring Walker won with the Miami Heat.
According to prosecutors, Walker has paid about $135,000 toward settling his casino debts to Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and the Red Rock Resort.
Walker played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2008. He won a championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat and was a three-time all-star for the Boston Celtics. He hasn't played in the NBA since 2008, but played briefly in Puerto Rico during the 2009-10 season.
On Nov. 30, Walker had waived his right to a preliminary hearing with the understanding that he would make monthly payments on the restitution, Andress-Tobiasson said this morning during the hearing.
"And nothing has been paid thus far," the judge said.
At his last court appearance on June 1, it was determined that Walker would appear to be sent up to district court on those charges, the judge said to his attorney.
"So sir, you already did unconditionally waive your preliminary hearing back in November," she said to him. "All we're going to do today is just send this up to district court."
The judge said one of two things will happen in district court.
"You will either get it resolved and pay the restitution — I assume if it is paid it will ultimately be reduced — or you'll go to trial or otherwise deal with it up at district court," she told Walker. Walker didn't speak during the hearing and quickly left the Clark County Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas without talking to reporters.
Walker, who has no prior record, faces three counts of drawing a check without sufficient funds from a bank with attempt to defraud.
The Louisville Courier-Journal has reported that Walker was working out with coach Rick Pitino at the University of Louisville to try to get into playing shape for an NBA comeback.
Walker played under Pitino at the University of Kentucky in the mid-1990s.
"Meet your obligations"....how many times in the past 3 years has that statement been thrown in the garbage by homeowners, investors, bankers, credit card holders...and on and on and on. Now it applies to a once star NBA player.
Life gets better everyday for these deadbeats
Sounds like the casino's are collecting there debts.
You play you pay.
I will never understand the borrowing of money to gamble. The money is supposed to come from disposable income as does any other form of recreation. Just does not make sense.
Civil case, not taxpayers job to be muscle for casinos - guess markers will have to be banned in Nevada
just make sure the judge didn't take any campaign money from the casino. many judges have!
look it up. it's public record.
i find it funny that the sPun won't go near that story of judges taking money from companies that later appear in front of them in court.
conflict of interest!
All part of the Nevada gambling scam in which uncollateralized loans are routinely provided by gambling parlors to patrons for the sole purposes of gambling.
Imagine how your typical financial institution would respond if you requested an unsecured loan for the purposes of gambling.
Imagine a society of professional financial planners/consultants deeming such loans financially prudent for their clients.
The practice of lending funds for the sole purposes of gambling defies logic and should never be considered legitimate. Such lending practices aid and abet those with gambling addictions blazing a path to financial ruin.
Such lending practices should be immediately prohibited for the betterment of society but won't because government is more interested in receiving 10% of these payment default judgments while passing out "when the fun ends" pamphlets under the ruse of protecting society from such unscrupulous, in this case, lending practices.
Just an example of the unethical practices surrounding the gambling racket -- all condoned by unscrupulous Nevada regulators and government officials.
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Well put Harley.
Unscrupulous and I might add purposefully negligent, as in bought off with like 'walkin aroun money'
slimey is as slimey does.
Sure, hot-shot, why not? We'll jes' up an' spot cha a mill to gamble against the house. Have a drink while we whip up the paper. here ya go. Oh, and good luck with that, okay?
Walker, Watanabe, WannaBeNext?
Big money, big money, ewe ya lost yer ass. Big money, b..
WHATSA MATTER! DIDN'T ANY ONE EVER HEAR OF "FORGIVE & fORGET"?
Breaking his knee's won't get the casino any money back. But it sure would hurt
@Harley:
There is nothing at all wrong with gambling. It's not a case of casinos exploiting people's weaknesses at all. In fact, you could say that about almost any business out there. Shopping and eating are both addictions that affect many, many more people around the globe. We can't simply shut down every casino, McDonald's, and Wal Mart simply because a handful of people can't control themselves. Pastimes that other people have like gambling, eating greasy food, or shopping may not be things that I, you, or others may choose to participate in, but then again, who are you to dictate how others should live their lives?
TV Commercials for Casinos are nothing compared to ones for retailers. Casinos show people gambling and prizes, and when they show the winners of jackpots, they present them in all their normalcy, no matter how hard on the eyes they are. Big Deal. Kohl's for example routinely airs degrading advertisements showing that shopping there is supposed to be the only way that women can feel glamourous and either smart or in control of their lives. As though regardless of how dreary their lives are, or how immense the debt they routinely place themselves into by binge shopping, it's ok because the ends justify the means when they receive that receipt at the end of a binge shopping spree, it tells them that they saved some sort of pathetic dollar amount. And from that reciept, they're supposed to feel smart?
How about an honest commercial where some woman DOESN'T buy a ton of junk, and when the kids get sick, or the car breaks down they can brag about all the money they saved by paying cash rather than interest on a credit card for the debt? And you think casinos are unethical?
If anything Casinos need to get together with the Gaming Control Board, and should institute a database of gamblers who take out markers. Track them by Finger Prints so that things like this stop occurring. This isn't Charles Barkley taking out a huge marker or two @ Wynn which is only 1 casino. This is a deadbeat who skipped around from Casino to Casino taking out markers hoping to finally win.
First of all this guy is NOT a felon. Just because the corporate thieves gave him markers to turn around and give right back to them in losses means that they are all smiles when handing out the cash, then in typical mob fashion get ugly and sic their doberman pincher DA Bernie Zedrowski on him and call him a felon! This practice needs to be stopped and the handing out and disputing of markers should be considered a private contractural transaction, NOT a criminal felony. STOP THIS CRAP NOW!!
EP, I do agree that the markers should be an agreement between the patron and the casino. I don't see the D.A. going after every person that didn't pay their house payment last month. If the practice was changed I bet they wouldn't be as quick to hand out markers. They really have a lucrative system in place. Lol.
He knowingly wrote 3 bad checks...Isn't that a criminal matter?..
At least this guy spread the "wealth" around to 3 different companies (PH was not a Harrah's company at the time). He should pay back his debts, Although he can make the case to stations that when they pay their bondholders and bank loans and whoever else Stations defaulted on, he will then repay them. As long as so many people default on their obligations, be it a gambler, a company or a person skipping out on their credit card and home loan debt, the economy is doomed. Way too many deadbeats out there. I pay my bills, so can everyone else. If you paid too much, TOO BAD, pay up. This guy is a Watanabe wannabe! Being an NBA star who has probably used his name to get many comps anf vip treatment over the years does not excuse him from his debts.
The recent economic collapse has made many many people feel it's ok to default. Everyone else is doing it is the mentality. Accountants are telling people to walk away from underwater homes. They are told it's a financial decision which outweighs the moral decision. It's becoming more and more prevalent. Now gamblers are doing it. Personally, walking away from owing someone money is something I will not consider. I'll live in a trailer, ride a bicycle and eat fruit loops before I default on meeting my financial obligations.
When are the Fertittas going to be charged with a felony? Their debt is being forgiven though they promised to pay, is that not a felony using the arguement put forth by DA Rogers? They get out of their debt by filing BK and then getting to keep all their stuff without paying for it. Walker's debt should be treated the same way, but he did not contribute to campaign funds.
Once the Fertittas filed bankruptcy, their bond holders, creditors, etc. Should have kicked them to the curb. They didn't. They retained these incompetents to start over. Amazing, isn't it. Abject failure is rewarded with a clean slate, new money and several casinos. Where do I sign up?
I wonder how big the markers need to be before the DA steps in as the collection agency? Seems as if they choose by which case has the biggest payday for them.
I will bet 25% of all bad checks are local casinos collecting from poker addicts.Locals do not talk much about the three markers that equal 10 to 50k.
He should feel lucky that he is in court and not in the desert buried in a shallow grave.. You borrow money ,, pay it back... Simple......
Why wasn't Steve Wynn charged with theft when he stole the dealers tips! More than that, these casinos give a customer a line of credit based on the criteria they have set up then when the customer loses all of that, the casino will give then a TTO-This Time Only advance on their line. Crooks!!
Bottom line, Antoine Walker wanted to be a bigshot! Only he didn't have the cash to back that up! Now he's just found out what happens to people who write bad checks. He's got children he's not even supporting and now he's going bankrupt. Where's that camaraderie with the guys that he had when he was the 'big spender'? Maybe all those hangers-on should pony up some dough to help out their old 'friend'. LOL - the rise and fall of these ignorant sports people cracks me up. They see it happening to their friends yet they plow right ahead and spend their money like water and to hell with the future for themselves or their family. The casinos should go ahead with a marker if they so choose, BUT put a hold on the funds immediately before advancing the cash. If they choose to front the money with nothing but a worthless piece of paper, then it's their fault! Find a better marker system hoteliers!! Yours is ancient!