Summary:
- Sam Antar alleges that BetMGM and Borgata took advantage of his gambling problems
- He claims to have received marketing emails enticing him to gamble even after his release from prison
- Antar is the nephew of convicted fraudster Eddie Antar
Sam A. Antar, a convicted criminal from New York who sued multiple gambling operators in 2022, has made fresh allegations against the defendants, this time claiming that they took advantage of his gambling addiction.
In an amended US District Court filing on May 1, Antar alleges that BetMGM and Borgata lured him into gambling by sending him marketing and promotional emails despite knowing that he is a compulsive and vulnerable gambler.
Defendants Accused of Exploiting Plaintiff’s Gambling Addiction
The original lawsuit filed in September 2022 accused BetMGM, its parent companies MGM Resorts and Entain plc and Borgata of multiple crimes, including violation of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, civil conspiracy, violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act, and fraud, among others.
The suit stemmed from technical glitches allegedly experienced by Antar while playing online on BetMGM. The operator allegedly would offer him free bets every time he threatened to take action and continuously enticed him to gamble.
The latest filing now focuses on three counts – violation of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, unjust enrichment, and negligence.
Antar alleges that the defendants exploited his gambling addiction, allowing him to spend nearly $30 million within just nine months from May 2019 to January 2020. That figure included more than 100,000 bets placed on the BetMGM New Jersey online casino platform. The plaintiff also claims to have gambled at Borgata in Atlantic City more than 30 times during this period.
All of that happened while Antar was awaiting sentencing after being charged with theft for stealing almost $800,000 from investors in New Jersey, a portion of that he used to fund his gambling addiction. In December 2022, just months after filing his case against BetMGM and Borgata, Antar was found guilty of theft by deception and received a three-year jail sentence.
In the same month, the defendants named in Antar’s lawsuit filed a motion to have it dismissed, citing Antar’s criminal background.
Antar was released on probation on March 28, 2023, but just two days later, he started receiving marketing emails from BetMGM enticing him to gamble, the latest filing claims. Antar alleges that the operator sent him a total of nine marketing emails between March 30 and May 1.
Antar Has Criminal Ties
Antar is the nephew of Eddie Antar, the man behind the popular “Crazy Eddie” chain of electronic stores which was launched in 1971 and rose to prominence until it was found to have engaged in multiple fraudulent business practices. Eddie pleaded guilty to fraud in 1996 and was jailed for eight years. He died in September 2016.
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