Like a phoenix out of the ashes, an ex-lawyer haunts the casino industry

LVbear wrote:

"This beautiful, intelligent woman�s life was ruined by gambling addiction. Regardless of how we feel about her lawsuit, hers is a powerful story. I see casinos take advantage of addicts, drunks, and other sick people every day. It happens far more than the general �casino hugging� public wants to believe.
I remember a long time ago, an advantage player friend said something to the effect that once casinos are in everyone�s face, there will be a backlash against the industry. We might have reached that point. Arelia Taveras will be the perfect spokesperson for her cause � young, female, attractive, intelligent, well-spoken, and with a good career before her addiction ruined her life. I think her lawsuit has little chance of success, but it will be interesting to watch."

A link to Bear's article: http://www.thebeargrowls.com/page/6/

Hey Bear, I get some updates for you. I enjoyed reading your above article very much --- so much so I did a little more digging and found more stuffs on Arelia.

1) Arelia lost and got the short end of the lawsuit. On 5/6/2009, A judge imposed a 3~9 year-maximum sentence for her crime of grand larceny, (i.e., "borrowing" her clients' money to gamble in Resorts International Casino).

2) On 4/06/2011, Arelia was released 7 years ahead of her maximum prison term because of her "merit".

3) Now she's out of prison and has been active in speaking against the casino industry (Bear, she can be your sidekick who speaks the truth about casinos :-). ) Her speeches were uploaded for all to see on the Youtube. Some of her sincere comments might piss off some politicians who could have her parole revoked! Examples of comments were (1)Governments are in bed with the casino industry for tax revenues. (2) Governor Christie bailed out an AC mega-casino at taxpayers' expense.

In 2012, Arelia Taveras speaks out on behalf of problem gamblers:

She's impressive. The "90% of compulsive gamblers attempting suicide" figure she cites in the NY1 clip I think is wrong.

Here's a fact sheet citing a 1997 study that found 12-18% of Gamblers Anonymous members attempting suicide:

http://www2.gsu.edu/~psyjge/Fact/suicide_04_10.pdf

Still a shocking figure but not as far-out as 90%. Anyone have a handle on better data? Compulsive gambling as a cause of suicidal tendencies makes for a strong public-health argument for gambling-related harm reduction.

She is a recovering addict and a crook who stole from her clients to feed her habit...that was terrible. She paid her debt and now she speaks out.

Purported message from casino..."Come and try your luck."

I think it highlights the paradox within the casino message...They are more than happy to let people sit there and lose everything, but they'll sweat green action from a skilled player.

Real message..."Come here and lose, the more the better, or we'll kick you out."

Everytime I see Gary Loveman's message on ESPN urging people to "use control when they gamble" I just want to puke.

What are the real hidden messages embedded in this Tropicana's video below? Why has not Tropicana halfshoed Don Johnson even though Don whacked Trop for over $5,000,000?

Watch the video. Tropicana showed off its poster boy Don Johnson, a winner of 5.8 million bucks. The casino even donated $10,000 to a Foundation for the poor. What's up Doc? What are your takes on these hidden messages?

the worst thing they could do is bar a non AP when he is up on them...and half shoeing a non counter does nothing to affect their play to any real degree...

I'd be shocked if he wasn't an AP. On the other hand, they've taken countermeasures against me, and I haven't quite taken them for $5.8 million. It would be interesting to know his stakes and where he got his original bankroll. Also found it interesting that he called it gaming, not gambling. The interviewer was very amateurish.

You've gotta admit, the Trop has gotten some good publicity out of this, and they seem to be really tolerant of this guy's wins.

Also, as you point out, the use of the term "gaming" in the interview is an interesting choice of words.

Makes you wonder.

To tell you the truth, I don't know what I'm saying. He may be a shill or he just might have a great act. Believe me when I say they didn't tolerate my action (several years ago) for much smaller amounts. They were very paranoid. Maybe new management. Maybe a desperate attempt to get their money back. Interesting case.

According to the National Council on Problem Gambling, 20% attempt/commit suicide. I can�t find the study that stat comes from, but it is cited repeatedly on websites for gambling addiction.

Gambling is legal in every state except Utah and Hawaii.

Casinos are one thing, but I can't believe what's happened with lotteries. In California, we have Super Lotto Plus on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the Mega Millions lottery (along with 41 other states, D. C., and the US Virgin Islands) on Tuesdays and Fridays, and you can play Fantasy Five, Daily Four, and Daily Three everyday - some twice a day!

Oh, and we also have Keno, but we call it Hot Spot! You can sit at your local deli and pick new numbers every 4 minutes�you�ll never be bored. Of course, we have Scratchers and the Daily Derby (a fake horse race).

Some probabilities on winning lotteries�

The original CA Lottery : 1 in 18,009,460

The current CA Super Lotto Plus: 1 in 41,416,513 (designed for bigger carryovers, which generate more sales)

The PowerBall Lottery: 1 in 175,223,510

MegaMillions: 1 in 175,711,536

I�ve started reading a book, Best Possible Odds. It�s actually written for professionals who treat problem/pathological gamblers. I don�t have it with me now, but it confirms that suicide rates for problem gamblers are higher than any other addiction. Another scary trend is the rise in problem gambling for teens and even adolescents. Now researchers are saying that buying lottery tickets and Scratchers cards as presents for kids is a bad idea, not harmless entertainment.

Trop wants to get mega high-end play and wants to show they won't sweat the action. D.J. is living proof. I would not be surprised if his play and news stories has not paid off in getting several new whales into the Trop AC.

Now, if ONLY their Las Vegas property didn't sweat the money so bad...

You don't have to be an AP to win a BJ-tournament or other loteries. Besides, this doesn't hurt the casino at all since somebody has got to win 1st prize and they finance these prizes by entry fees and donations.

Francis Salmon

not a lottery, tournament, or contest. He won $5.8 million from Trop and I think a total of $15 million from casinos. It's doubtful you win that type of money being lucky. Maybe he bet a million dollars a hand and had a nice streak. That's why it would be good to know his stakes.

We're talking about the AC shoe game here. If he were counting, they would have half shoed him long ago - we know this from our own experiences.

If he is a tracker, I can't imagine that he would have been able to maintain such a consistent advantage over so many shoes with so few swings.

Hole carder? Not on the Trop shoe as far as I can tell, and certainly not over so many different shifts/dealers/casinos.

I truly think he is a BS player on a hell of a lucky streak - thus the casino wants him to keep playing, because eventually he will lose.
Meanwhile, they can show their "tolerance" and reap some good PR.

but I'd still like to know his minimum bet, spread and bankroll. I still say a very small percentage of the general population would say gaming instead of gambling.

The lottery proponents -- corporations such as GTECH whose prosperity depends on ongoing expansion of state-sponsored gambling -- want us to continue thinking of lotteries as small affairs. "A dollar and a dream." All that stuff.

But the games are designed to function much more like other gambling experiences. It's not just low-stakes scratch tickets with terrible odds that you'd have to be a moron to buy. It's flat-out state-operated slot machines, like in Oregon, a state where severe compulsive gambling has been shown to be integral to lottery revenues.

It's $50 scratchers like they have in Texas. "Fifty dollars and a dream" is another order of gambling altogether. It's intended to get the sucker's heart pumping in the same way slots do.

If the casino business model is objectionable to us as advantage players, the lottery model should probably be more objectionable -- because our governments implicate all of us as co-owners of the enterprise. Foul beyond words, if you ask me.

Perhaps Tropicana learns from Seminole Casino in how to recoup from mega-winners.
Jennifer, a milfy Blondie, won $13,000,000; Seminole kept her playing & took her to the cleaner's within 2 years.

Jennifer stole $500,000 from her in-laws to gamble; she's arrested, and for this reason she's in the mug shot.