Man sues Las Vegas casino for $1 million after losing $500,000

Forgetting the old adage, "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em," a man walked into a Las Vegas casino last Super Bowl weekend and promptly lost $500,000. Now, he's suing the Downtown Grand for more than $1 million plus attorney fees, saying they served him so much alcohol it affected his ability to function.

Mark Johnston admits he was inebriated when he stumbled into the casino, but says it was up to the Downtown Grand to keep him from going overboard. "They served me all the drinks," he told News 3 in Las Vegas. "They should have cut me off." Johnston says the casino also broke gaming regulations by allowing him to gamble while intoxicated. "At some point, that's my responsibility, but the unfortunate part about it for them is, they have a bigger responsibility than I do," he said.

Johnston has been countersued by the casino, which denies most of his claims and says that he needs to pony up the $500,000 he borrowed (they also say that the day after his mega loss he asked for more casino credit, and was denied). "They're...trying to extort me and scare me," Johnston said. "I'm not scared." The case was set to go to trial this week, but has been postponed.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up