Watanabe has paid back nearly $112 million of his debt to the casinos, but faces four felony counts of intent to defraud and steal. Two of his personal handlers at the casino testified that he handed out thousands of Tiffany gift cards or $100 coins to bartenders, nightclub operators, security guards and others, and even gave out free steaks.Īnd one man's loss is another's gain: The Wall Street Journal reports that Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which owns Caesars Palace and Rio, derived about 5.6% of its total 2007 Las Vegas gambling revenue from Watanabe alone.
Court documents say he often handed bundles of $100 bills to employees at Caesars. 'It got to the point where people would go just to watch,' one Vegas regular told the Daily Mail.Īnd his profligacy was not limited to losing hands. In a city of tourist attractions he became one himself.
