Casino Lawsuit Dismissed

An ex-New York City attorney has had her $20m lawsuit against seven casinos dismissed.

Arelia Margarita Taveras had argued that six Atlantic City casinos - Resorts Atlantic City, Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, the Tropicana Casino Resort, the Showboat Casino Hotel, Bally's Atlantic City, and the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort - as well as Las Vegas' MGM Grand Casino, had a duty to stop her from continuing her gambling addiction.

In Friday's ruling, US District Court Judge Renee Bumb wrote that Taveras failed to prove that gambling is a hazardous endeavor worthy of special protections.

"Playing blackjack, roulette or the slots bears no likeness to dumping toxic waste," Judge Bumb wrote. "She spent money on the bona fide chance that she might win more money. In short, she gambled."

Taveras, who plans to appeal the dismissal, said she gambled almost non-stop and lost almost $1 million over a period of less than two years.

Taveras raised eyebrows in April with her self-promotion of her lawsuit, even going so far as to post a YouTube video explaining her reasons for taking court action.