William Bennett considering lawsuits against casinos

The Las Vegas Review-Journal ^ | Tuesday, July 29, 2003 | ROD SMITH

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

Morals czar William Bennett is considering filing lawsuits against Las Vegas casino companies that may have leaked documents detailing his gambling habits.

Bennett, the architect and leading advocate of Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign, was outed in the May issue of The Washington Monthly magazine as a gambler who has wagered -- and lost -- millions over the past decade at Bellagio and Caesars Atlantic City.

During a 60-minute interview with Tim Russert on CNCB this weekend, the former education secretary complained his privacy rights had been "deliberately damaged" while also mocking Las Vegas' latest national marketing campaigns.

"By the way, there's a commercial on that people may have seen about Las Vegas, that 'What happens here stays here.' Well, not in my case. Some people there were trying to do me great harm," Bennett said.

The "What happens here" ad campaign is part of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's latest marketing campaign to boost tourism to the city.

He argued the magazine report stemmed from the release of "some documents" by the casinos themselves which was not legal and violated his privacy rights.

He alleges documents were selectively leaked to create a false impression that he had a gaming problem.

While Bennett did not dispute the legitimacy of the documents and said he had no problem with the reporters who have written stories on his gambling, he told Russert the release of the information was not legal and he is looking into the possibility of legal action against the casinos.

On Monday, Bennett declined to comment further on the possibility of legal action against the casino companies.

Spokesmen for Park Place Entertainment Corp. , owner of the Caesars Atlantic City, and MGM Mirage, which operates Bellagio, declined comment.

Industry insiders have said details in The Washington Monthly article suggest the data about Bennett's gambling habits might actually have come from documents produced by Central Credit, a subsidiary of First Data Corp. of Greenwood Village, Colo.

Central Credit, which has denied being a source of the documents, is the gaming industry equivalent of credit reporting agency TRW. It allows member casinos to run credit checks on debts, marker activity and repayment habits of casino customers.

Industry experts and civil liberties attorneys doubt Bennett has a cause of action.

Las Vegas professor and casino gambling expert Bill Thompson said Bennett's privacy rights "were violated. I think he has a beef, but I don't know if he has a legal argument."

Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the Nevada chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said "It might be good policy, but in the absence of some policy or contract, it does not appear there is a cause of action," he said.

[Bluntpoint]

Real gripe. But inane behaviour for a man in his position with such a big target on his back.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

The problem with your scenario is that all the people he gambled with weren't keeping records of his wins and losses, and then pumping them to the press in an effort to discredit him.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

No doubt about it - he was wearing a fawn colored trenchcoat over a tan turtleneck and slacks with an antler hat on the opening day of deer season....

[Bluntpoint]

I can't put my finger on it, but I think you too, Palpatine, have a dark secret.

Please let it not be connected with livestock.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Bleeeeeaaaaat.....

[lelio]

Bleeeeeaaaaat.....

Okay, please let it be a female one, not a male.

[Bluntpoint]

Damn... Damn... Damn...

_{Is it really like the real thing?}

[dogbyte12]

I quote the gipper.

There ewe go again.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

I suppose one finds that even bestialists have gender preferences, and that some would find male on male interspecies stuff gross.....

[Bluntpoint]

bestialists

Is that a monthly or bi-monthly News Letter.

[gcruse]

I could care less. How about you?

[OldFriend]

If you want your actions to be kept secret......you have a problem.

[Bluntpoint]

If you want your actions to be kept secret......you have a problem.

So. Do you like the missionary position or something more gymnastic?

[HenryLeeII]

Hey Bill, how bout taking a little personal responsibility, eh? What a hypocrite.

You have no cause for calling Bill Bennett a hypocrite. He never denied being a gambler, apparently never let it affect his family's finances, and besides, gambling is not illegal. He has ceased his gambling activities, and apparently doesn't have any outstanding debt. So how was he being a hypocrite? If TRW released your credit history for public consumption I'm sure you'd be more than a little upset.

[BlackbirdSST]

If it were a liberal enmeshed in this, the gleeful condemnation would be unending. Bennett isn't the real hypocrit in all this.

Thanks for getting that point out. BTW, how many here ranting about Bill's Privacy being violated want to see everything going on in a gay bedroom? There is no Privacy where there is potential for vice, ask any of dozen's here! No Privacy in the Constitution, the Supremes are idiot's. The real hypocrites are out in force right here on FR, but that's a point exposed daily. Bill, you were outed, get over it. Blackbird.

[Bluntpoint]

What do you know that we don't know?

Did Bill not list homosexuality as a vice either?

Is this the tip of the iceberg of all Bill's vices not so enumerated by him?

[HenryLeeII]

The Linda Tripp analogy is wrong for two reasons: 1)The telephone calls by Lewinsky originated in Washington, D.C. to Linda Tripp in Maryland, therefore it was an interstate call, so Maryland had very shaky grounds for prosecuting her for illegally recording the calls and failed to prosecute her (and if I remember correctly, at the time, only one person was needed for consent to tape an interstate call under Federal law); and 2) Linda Tripp was protecting herself against someone who was trying to recruit her for criminal activity; the casino was not.

[Bluntpoint]

And the bottom line is the King of Virtues was relying upon Las Vegas style assurances that his gambling would be kept secret.

He is a damn fool.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Its bimonthly. Or so I hear.

[the Deejay]

Wow....He lost 8 mil? Don't you think he should have stopped at say, 1 mil?