Man Blames Ohio Casino For Robbery Of His $35,800 Winnings
July 25, 2013 1:53 pmAn Ohio man is holding the Hollywood Casino Columbus responsible for the loss of his $35,800 in winnings, after he was robbed at gunpoint by two men who woke him up at his home just hours after he had left casino.
David A. Hayes, 29, has since filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court against Central Ohio Gaming Ventures, claiming that the Hollywood Casino Columbus “breached its duty to maintain the confidentiality of customer financial transactions conducted at the gaming cage.”
At the heart of Mr Hayes’ complaint is that after originally winning the money playing blackjack, he had asked the casino’s cashier for a cheque, but when she didn’t respond he thought his only option was to take his winnings in cash. Apparently, Mr Hayes had said to her, “Well, I guess it’s a straight cash business,” to which she nodded her assent.
The lawsuit goes on to say that the casino clerk then requested his details, including his driver’s license, identification information, and address on a piece of paper, which was subsequently held up for him to confirm, thus making it “visible to anyone in the vicinity.”
Ironically, after the transaction was completed and he was handed a manila folder containing three hundred and fify-eight $100 bills she then told him that he should really take any future winnings as a cheque. Mr Hayes said he told her that’s what he had wanted all along, but was told in reply that it was too late now .
Later that night as Mr Hayes was asleep at his Far North Side bedroom, two robbers then entered his home through an unlocked back door and specifically demanded the money he had won that night.
Fortunately, the robbers Ronald L. Jones, 26, and Ryan C. Bundy, 20, have since been arrested after they were heard boasting about the robbery. Meanwhile, the casino is denying any responsibility for the incident and asserting that Mr Hayes lost the money on account of “his own negligence.”