The San Diego mayor who gambled $1 billion at casinos
Maureen O'Connor is garnering some unwelcome headlines for this mother of all betting sprees
If you've ever woken up after a night of poker regretting that awful decision to buy back in for another $20, then you may have a microscopic notion of what Maureen O'Connor is going through. The former mayor of San Diego gambled a staggering $1 billion in casinos across the country over the course of a decade, a betting marathon that came to light when she was charged with laundering $2 million from a charity founded by her late husband. O'Connor made an appearance in court this week, where she admitted to having an out-of-control gambling addiction. According to The New York Times:
All things considered, O'Connor didn't do too badly at video poker (her poison of choice), suffering a net loss of $13 million between 2000 and 2009. However, to keep fueling her gambling, she was forced to get rid of up to $50 million in assets — savings, belongings, and real estate — much of which had been bequeathed to her by her husband, Robert O. Peterson, who founded the popular Jack-in-the-Box burger chain. She partly blames a brain tumor, which she eventually had excised, for her bad decisions. "There are two Maureens — Maureen number one and Maureen number two," she said. "Maureen number two is the Maureen who did not know she had a tumor growing in her brain."
As part of a deal with prosecutors, O'Connor is expected to undergo treatment and pay back her husband's foundation.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But that probably won't be the end of O'Connor's ordeal. As the Matt Damon's character says in the poker film Rounders:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
The drive behind Germany's pro-Israel political consensus
Under the Radar Belief that Israel's security is a 'raison d'etre for the German republic' is under growing pressure
By The Week UK Published
-
'The House under GOP rule has become a hostile workplace'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal is about more than bad bets
In The Spotlight The firestorm surrounding one of baseball's biggest stars threatens to upend a generational legacy and professional sports at large
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published