A Las Vegas regular is accusing one of the Strip’s glitziest casinos of turning a VIP night into a financial nightmare. Michael Duke Thomson, a 64-year-old attorney and longtime Aria patron, has sued Aria Resort & Casino and parent company MGM Resorts after a January 2024 stay allegedly ended with him waking up handcuffed in casino security and on the hook for roughly $75,000 in markers, as reported by The Independent.
In a federal complaint, Thomson says he was “surreptitiously drugged” while gambling in Aria’s high-limit rooms, leaving him incapable of understanding his actions as the markers were issued. He also alleges casino staff failed to step in as he continued to gamble. Thomson is asking a judge to void the disputed credit instruments and send his claims for damages to a jury, according to The Independent.
Thomson filed the complaint on Dec. 11 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, according to a docket hosted by Justia Dockets & Filings. The filing names Aria Resort & Casino, LLC and MGM Resorts International as defendants, includes a demand for a jury trial, and seeks relief that would rescind the markers.
Thomson’s Version Of A Lost Night In The High-Limit Room
According to the complaint, Thomson’s last clear memory on Jan. 23, 2024, was around midnight as he left Aria’s high-limit blackjack room with “a few thousand dollars” in chips after taking a single $10,000 marker that he says he repaid at the table. After that, he claims, the lights go out…