Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Casino is pursuing former Hollywood executive Ron Meyer for over $2.7 million in unpaid markers, according to a lawsuit filed in the state’s Superior Court in New London. Meyer, 79, who served as president and COO of Universal Studios from 1995 to 2013, is known for his fondness for playing craps. The legal dispute centers around a line of credit Meyer signed for $6 million at Mohegan Sun in Montville, Connecticut, around August 14, 2015. The lawsuit, brought by the Mohegan Gaming Commission, claims that Meyer gambled using this line of credit in October 2017 and subsequently lost $5 million in a single day.
In an attempt to settle the debt, Meyer signed over five markers to the casino, but the checks later bounced, according to the lawsuit. By April 2018, Meyer had entered a repayment plan with the casino but failed to make the agreed payments, defaulting in September 2003 and leaving an outstanding balance of $2,782,500. Meyer’s lawyer, Brian E. Spears, has challenged the lawsuit by asserting that extending credit for gambling is illegal under Connecticut law, referencing the state’s long-standing prohibition against lending money to gamblers.
The Mohegan Tribe, as a sovereign nation somewhat independent of state laws, is authorized to operate a casino under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), provided such operations adhere to the compact agreement signed between the tribe and the state. Spears argued that the Mohegan compact does not explicitly allow credit extension for gambling. Instead, the compact specifies that all payments for class III wagers must be made with cash, cash equivalents, checks, or credit cards.
By contrast, Connecticut’s other tribal operator, the Mashantucket Pequots, negotiated an exception in their compact, permitting the extension of credit at their Foxwoods Resort Casino. Spears emphasized that the Mohegan Compact, which does not include such provisions, should be the definitive authority. He noted that without explicit permission to extend credit for gambling, the state’s long-standing ban on these practices should apply.
Meyer’s reputation as a high-stakes gambler is well-documented. According to sources cited by The Daily Mail in 2020, Meyer allegedly spent more than $100 million on dice games over the years, placing him among the top three most coveted high rollers in the gaming industry. This claim, however, has not been independently verified by Casino.org. Meyer, one of the founders of the Creative Artists talent agency, was the longest-serving chief at a major motion picture company during his time at Universal. He resigned from his position as chairman in 2020 amidst claims of extortion related to an alleged affair with British actress Charlotte Kirk.
