A high-stakes gambler claims a Las Vegas casino allowed him to gamble and withdraw $75,000 in credit while he was incapacitated, allegedly after being drugged, before he was detained by security police and later charged with felony fraud.
Michael Thomson, 64, of Puerto Rico, last week filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada against the Aria hotel-casino and its parent company, MGM Resorts International, accusing the Strip resort of negligence, unfair trade practices and malicious prosecution, among other things.
MGM Resorts International did not respond to a request for comment. Thomson’s lawyers also did not respond.
According to the seven-count complaint, Thomson’s last memory of the night of Jan. 23, 2024, was leaving the high-limit blackjack room around midnight with a few thousand dollars in chips, intending to return to his hotel room. His next memory was waking up the next morning handcuffed to a wall in Aria’s security room.
Casino staff later told Thomson he had been found sleeping in the Sky Suites lounge and allegedly passed out when he was awakened by security, prompting his detention around 11 a.m. on Jan. 24, according to the lawsuit.
Thomson says he was then trespassed from the property without being informed that he had any outstanding casino credits, known as markers.
The complaint describes Thomson as a longtime Aria customer with a “pristine” history of paying back markers. He remembers cashing out a single $10,000 chip while playing blackjack that night and paying it back at the table before leaving the casino floor.
Days later, Thomson contacted his Aria host to find out what had happened. He was told he had eight outstanding markers totaling $75,000 and that there was a discrepancy between the money he allegedly borrowed and his recorded winnings and losses, according to the lawsuit.
Despite repeated requests for details, Thomson says Aria was unable to provide an explanation. Months later, his bank notified him that the casino had submitted the markers for payment. Thomson instructed the bank not to honor them while he continued to seek clarification from Aria, the complaint states.
The markers were returned to the casino, five marked “Not Authorized” and three marked “NSF,” or insufficient funds, according to the filing.
Aria then referred the case to the Clark County District Attorney’s Bad Check Unit, which charged Thomson in November 2024 with drawing and mailing a check with intent to defraud and theft of more than $25,000 but less than $100,000.
Thomson was arrested and later agreed to pay restitution to settle the case, which was dismissed in October, court records show.
In his lawsuit, Thomson claims he was “deliberately, surreptitiously drugged” on the night of January 23 or the morning of January 24, rendering him completely incapacitated. He claims his condition would have been obvious to casino employees, but Aria failed to intervene, seek medical attention or prevent him from gambling and using credit instruments.
The complaint further alleges that Thomson either did not sign the markers or signed them while incapacitated, rendering them invalid. It also accuses Aria of violating Nevada gaming regulations that prohibit visibly impaired customers from participating in gaming activities.
Thomson is seeking declaratory relief invalidating the markers, damages in excess of $75,000 and a jury trial.
Aria and MGM have not yet filed a response to the lawsuit.
Contact David Danzis at ddanzis@ theplayerlounge.com or 702-383-0378. Follow @AC2Vegas_Danzis on X.
