An admitted problem gambler asked a federal appeals court Monday to overturn a U.S. district judge's ruling earlier this year that Aztar Corp. was not responsible for his gambling losses.
Legal experts said the gambler, David Williams, faces long odds in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The court ruled in February that gaming companies are not responsible for barring compulsive gamblers. In that case, the judge ruled that Trump Casino in Gary, Ind., was not responsible for problem gambler Mark Merrill's losses.
The facts in the two cases are similar, but Williams' attorney, Terry Noffsinger, said the earlier ruling set a bad precedent.
Furthermore, he said Williams gambled on electronic slot machines, raising issues of tracking gambling activities not raised in earlier litigation.
The gaming companies have always argued they have no way of knowing who is a problem gambler, Noffsinger said.
"In this case, we argued they knew, it was easy to know and we're saying they had a duty to know," he said.
Williams, a former state accountant, sued Aztar in 2001, claiming the casino knew he was a gambling addict and should have prevented him from wagering. He returned to the riverboat casino, the lawsuit argued, only because Aztar began enticing him with mailings and advertisements on gambling.
Legal experts said the gambler, David Williams, faces long odds in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The court ruled in February that gaming companies are not responsible for barring compulsive gamblers. In that case, the judge ruled that Trump Casino in Gary, Ind., was not responsible for problem gambler Mark Merrill's losses.
The facts in the two cases are similar, but Williams' attorney, Terry Noffsinger, said the earlier ruling set a bad precedent.
Furthermore, he said Williams gambled on electronic slot machines, raising issues of tracking gambling activities not raised in earlier litigation.
The gaming companies have always argued they have no way of knowing who is a problem gambler, Noffsinger said.
"In this case, we argued they knew, it was easy to know and we're saying they had a duty to know," he said.
Williams, a former state accountant, sued Aztar in 2001, claiming the casino knew he was a gambling addict and should have prevented him from wagering. He returned to the riverboat casino, the lawsuit argued, only because Aztar began enticing him with mailings and advertisements on gambling.
