Harrah’s is entitled to collect a debt a man ran up despite his claims that he’s a compulsive gambler who should not have been given a line of credit, an appellate court ruled Friday.
The judges affirmed the finding of an Atlantic County Superior Court judge who ruled Massimo Dangelico owed the $188,697.31, including interest and attorney’s fees.
Dangelico does not deny taking out the $160,000 loan on a $200,000 line of credit, according to the ruling.
Instead, he claims that he had defaulted on “casino markers” with other casinos and was on a “central credit registry not to extend (him) credit.”
But Dangelico provided no proof he was on any such list and did not put himself on the self-exclusion list, the panel found.
Even if he were on the list, a casino is not responsible for harm that might result from allowing him to gamble, according to the statute,
“We do not depreciate the financial ruin that may befall compulsive gamblers and their dependents,” the judges wrote. “However, Harrah's is in the business of operating casino gambling; defendant is its customer. The relationship is built on enabling gaming, not withholding it.”
