In a noteworthy development within the gambling community, a New York man’s quest to recover approximately $29 million in losses incurred through the BetMGM gaming platform resulted in legal dismissal. Sam A. Antar, a man with sizeable virtual betting records, faced the rejection of his lawsuit by a New Jersey federal judge on Wednesday.
Throughout 2019, Antar’s engagements with BetMGM reached staggering totals, exceeding $24 million, of which more than $5 million cascaded in bets within a mere 16-day tenure in January of the following year. These astronomical numbers, cited in his legal suit, underscore the escalating concerns surrounding problem gambling.
Antar levied accusations against BetMGM, a synergistic venture born from MGM Resorts and Entain, for their alleged breach of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, negligence, and unjust enrichment. Antar argued that the gambling giant continued to dangle carrots in the form of casino bonuses, fully cognizant of his compulsive gambling proclivities.
In a striking counter, BetMGM attorneys laid bare the plaintiff’s own troubled past. Antar, once embroiled in an investment fraud, stripped his victims of over half a million dollars. After admitting to his felonious actions, Antar was sentenced to three years’ incarceration in 2022 and was directed to return close to $650,000. Despite his recent release from prison, the shadows of his actions still loomed large.
Defending their position, BetMGM counsel maintained that the state’s Casino Control Act overrode Antar’s Consumer Fraud Act claims. Judge Madeline Cox Arleo’s ruling echoed this stance, acknowledging that while problem gambling is under the Casino Control Act’s regulatory umbrella, it does not obligate casinos to shield or cease the encouragement of gambling among problem gamblers.
Judge Arleo’s decision established a clear-cut verdict; the casino bore no responsibility, in a common law sense, to care for the plaintiff’s well-being concerning his gambling tendencies.
The tale of Antar is not without its historical echoes. His uncle, “Crazy” Eddie Antar, became infamous for running the once ubiquitous Crazy Eddie electronics empire that crashed in scandal. The tri-state area from a bygone era still hums with the residue of Crazy Eddie’s overly enthusiastic television advertisements that became part of the cultural lexicon. The retailer’s dramatic rise and fall, once a NASDAQ darling before becoming a symbol of corporate fraud, continues to reverberate as a cautionary emblem of excess and deception.
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