Las Vegas Sands can’t stay out of court. Marina Bay Sands is being sued by a Chinese gambler who says $6.6 million of his money was moved out of his 
account and disbursed to other individuals he didn’t know in a series of 22 transactions. Such a pattern of activity, if true, would strongly suggest that somebody was acting on the sly and trying very hard not to get caught. For its part, Sands says it has authorization letters. Wang Xi, the plaintiff, counters that the letters are forgeries and the originals have been destroyed. “Marina Bay Sands failed to verify whether the Disputed Authorization Letters were in fact signed by the plaintiff before effecting the disputed transactions,” reads Xi’s lawsuit. Sands has been caught assisting in money laundering in Las Vegas but has kept its nose clean in Singapore, at least until now. An internal investigation would appear to be in order. Mind you, six million is chump change to Sands. It is expected to clear $900 million a year in Singapore once its fourth hotel tower opens in 2023.
* Audience participation at a Lady Gaga show went awry last week, when a fan was invited onstage and had the brilliant idea of lifting Mother Monster. Only it didn’t go so well. And, as with all things in contemporary society, it was captured in a thousand cellphone videos. Maybe if Mr. Anonymous hadn’t tried dry-humping Her Ladyship the embarrassment could have been prevented. They’re both OK, we’re relieved to report.
* A health dragnet has been unrolled after a room-service attendant at Turning Stone Casino called in sick with hepatitis A. Nobody has reported picking it up but the nasty thing about this form of hepatitis is that it takes several weeks to 
surface. The news was certainly unwelcome, “forcing the hurried vaccination of some guests and workers.” Reports the Ithaca Journal, “Hepatitis A dwells in the human gut, emerging when someone fails to wash their hands properly after using the toilet. [How appropriate the the casino is in the Finger Lakes.] That person can pass the virus to others by accidentally infecting food or drink, or in some cases by intimate contact.” It takes two months to recover from the disease, which has a variety of nasty—but not life-threatening—symptoms.
Given the popularity of Turning Stone, which welcomes 4.5 million visitors a year, there’s certainly potential for an outbreak. The New York State Department of Health appears to have booted the ball, leaving Turning Stone to handle the contacting of vulnerable customers, much to the latters’ chagrin. While we don’t see what Turning Stone could have done much better, the health department has no such excuse.
* The impending grand reopening of Hard Rock Casino Hollywood could be spoilt by a criminal complaint. In a lesson on the importance of keeping your eye on your liquor, a casino patron complains that two women spiked his booze, got him over to his hotel room, then relieved him of a $15K Rolex plus another grand in cash. Sounds like he was hoping for a three-way and let his lust get the better of his awareness. But that’s just us. Surveillance video does seem to corroborate the man’s account. The alleged robbery took place not at the Hard Rock but an offsite hotel in Dania Beach but there’s no word on what the Mickey Finn may have been. And keep it in your pants while you’re visiting Hard Rock Hollywood.
* Although author Matthew O’Brien is now teaching English literature in San Salvador, his prime cause—the tunnels under Las Vegas—has not been forgotten. A film has been made about the subculture that exists out of sight (and out of mind) of the average Las Vegan. We just wish this piece didn’t disparagingly refer to them as ‘mole people.’ They deserve better than that.
* I was shocked and saddened to learn that journalist Dave Palermo (1947-2019) died in Las Vegas by his own hand. In memory of his passing, he was honored with Peter Mead Memorial Award Honoring Excellence in Gaming Media & Communications, an incredibly well-merited honor. Dave was by far the preeminent authority on tribal-gaming issues and his respect for the concept of tribal sovereignty was a lesson to us all. I had the privilege of working with Dave at Casino Executive Magazine. He could have viewed me as an upstart but instead was a valued mentor. Who is going to keep politicians honest about dealing with tribes now that Dave is gone.
