Casino Markers in Las Vegas

Here in Las Vegas one case we get from time to time are casino marker cases. That’s when a person for better or usually for worse signs off a casino marker basically asking for credit from a casino and not paying back once they lose. I think the general thinking is, ‘Well, they got the money back anyway. Why would I need to pay?’ It doesn’t work that way when you get a loan. It doesn’t work that way here with the casinos. Casinos are the lifeblood of our economy, and the District Attorney’s Office takes those cases extremely seriously.

When someone walks out on a marker, the casino will refer the matter to the District Attorney’s Office, and the District Attorney will then do everything in their power to get that individual to come back to Las Vegas, even by force of extradition, regardless of where that person is located within the United States. They will be picked up on that bench warrant and then taken back to Las Vegas to answer to those charges.

Oftentimes, though, we can work out a negotiation where that person can avoid extradition, and in some circumstances we can work out a deal where they don’t have to pay the entire amount back. It really depends on the set of facts. There are usually some things in mitigation. Perhaps the person was drinking at the time or what have you, but these cases are taken very seriously. Fortunately, it is something that if you throw some money at it then it can usually go away.