Poker Writer
The estate of a deceased man alleges that two off-strip Vegas hotels, South Point Hotel and The Grandview, were negligent in protecting guests, leading to the man contracting Legionnaires’ Disease. The lawsuit filed with the Clark County District Court was on behalf of Gary Curtis Jones from Alabama.
The 54-year-old man had long-term health issues, according to his obituary, which put him in a high-risk category. His visit to Vegas in mid-March 2025 included five nights at the South Point Hotel and two nights at The Grandview.
Just a few days after Jones returned home to Alabama, he started showing symptoms. He started to have intense breathing issues, could not talk, and was forced to be put on oxygen. He died just two weeks later on April 2, 2025.
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What is Legionnaires’ Disease?
Legionnaires’ Disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. The bacteria thrive in warm artificial water systems, such as AC cooling towers, hot tubs and plumbing. People can contract it through breathing in contaminated water mist and cannot be spread person-to-person.
The disease is often fatal and very dangerous to people aged 50 and above. Those with weakened immune systems and poor respiratory health are the ones most at risk.
Symptoms can often be subtle at first, causing people to leave them untreated at first. As the disease progresses, the symptoms often become high fever, severe cough, shortness of breath and muscle aches.
Legionnaires’ Disease an Issue Throughout Las Vegas
This example was not the first time someone had claimed exposure to Legionnaires’ Disease while staying in a Vegas hotel. The conditions in Vegas hotels, which often have to run the AC at high gear during the brutally hot summers, provide a fertile breeding ground for Legionella bacteria.
Another off-Strip resort, Orleans Hotel & Casino, was also sued last year for the same issue. In that case, Orleans became aware of a potential Legionella outbreak and started environmental testing of their water system.
Legionella bacteria live in water, and they most often grow in systems connected to large buildings. That puts Las Vegas casino resorts at high risk.
Legionnaires’ Scare at 2017 WSOP
The former home of the World Series of Poker experienced had a worrisome outbreak in 2017. The Rio Hotel and Casino had two guests come down with the disease a couple of months before the WSOP started in the summer.
Even though the cases occurred before the series, health inspectors still found Legionnaires’ in Rio’s plumbing system just before the start of the 2017 WSOP.
Richard Broome, executive VP of public affairs and corporate communications for Caesars Entertainment, talked about those results at the time:
Test results on the water at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino indicated the presence of the Legionella bacteria. The company is working closely with the Southern Nevada Health District and taking aggressive remediation actions to ensure the safety of Rio’s water. Out of an abundance of caution, we are relocating guests from rooms where remediation actions are being undertaken.
While many players report flu-like illness at the WSOP every year due to other factors, the Legionnaires’ Disease concern did not materialize in 2017. There were no confirmed cases among the thousands of poker players who played at the Rio that year.
Image credit: Soundsfancy/Wikimedia Commons (License)
