Poker Writer
An MGM Grand high roller drugging case from 2021 has enough evidence to go to a jury trial, according to a federal judge. The high roller, businessman Dwight Manley from Southern California, insists that he was drugged with ketamine while playing blackjack.
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Drug-Induced 2021 Gambling Incident
Manley says that MGM executives took advantage of him by drugging him and increasing his credit limit from $1 million to $3.5 million, even though he was displaying erratic, drug-induced behavior that was witnessed by his friends while gambling on Dec. 10, 2021.
On that night, he shattered an ashtray, cut his hand, and was bleeding on the blackjack table minutes after he had the fifth drink that was brought to him by a cocktail server. MGM allegedly did not do anything to stop Manley from continuing to play despite the behavior.
Manley was so adamant that he had been drugged by the casino that he purchased billboards in Las Vegas, offering anyone up to a $1 million reward for information that would prove the drugging. There were about 14 billboards in total around the Vegas area in 2024, all stating the same thing.
Judge Finds Enough Evidence For Trial
Federal Judge Miranda Du stated in a transcript procured by the Nevada Current:
I find that plaintiff has offered evidence to create a genuine issue of fact that the cocktail he was served by defendant’s employee was poisoned such that he was incapacitated at the time he entered into the credit instrument at issue.
Critically, Du determined, upon viewing the video surveillance, that it does not “undisputedly show that ketamine was not contained in the ingredients.” That was in a single-serving packet that looked like a sugar packet.
There are reportedly 11 other examples from MGM patrons who claimed to be drugged by employees.
MGM’s Defense
MGM claims that Manley is using the drugging as an excuse to not have to pay his $3 million in gambling debt. MGM’s representation said Manley paid his host $560,000 on the plane ride home to California and made no effort at the time to stop his payments when MGM deposited his markers.
Manley claimed he paid the markers only to keep his reputation intact.
Who is Dwight Manley?
The 60-year-old Manley is a businessman from Southern California. He is the managing partner of California Gold Marketing Group, LLC. He is also a numismatist, sports agent, and real estate developer.
The most notable athletes he represented were in the 1990s, basketball Hall of Famers Karl Malone and enigmatic Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman.
Image credit: Hakan Dahlstrom/Wikimedia Commons (license)
