A high-roller gambler has sued the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, claiming he was drugged during a gambling session. Michael Duke Thomson says he lost $75,000 and woke up handcuffed with no memory of what happened. Thomson believes the casino failed to protect him when he became unable to function properly.
According to The Independent, Thomson is a licensed attorney who now lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He says his last clear memory was leaving the high-limit blackjack room around midnight. He was carrying a few thousand dollars in chips and heading to his room. The next thing he remembers is waking up the next morning, handcuffed to a wall in the casino security holding area. Sounds familiar? Yes, it happened just like the famous Hangover movies.
When he woke up, Thomson discovered he was $75,000 in debt to the casino. The debt came from eight credit instruments called markers that he supposedly took out during the night. Thomson has no memory of signing any of these documents and believes he was secretly drugged that night, which left him completely unable to think clearly or control his actions.
The suspicious timeline raises serious questions
The timing of these transactions looks very suspicious. According to the lawsuit, the eight markers were supposedly taken out between 3:00 AM and 9:00 AM. Thomson says he has no memory of any of this. He also points out that the signatures on most of these markers only loosely look like his real signature.
Thomson’s lawsuit accuses the Aria of serious negligence. He argues that anyone could have seen he was unable to function properly, but nobody at the casino stepped in to help. Instead of making sure he was safe or getting him medical help, the casino let him keep gambling and then forcibly held him without providing any care. This situation mirrors a man’s wild Vegas experience that went horribly wrong.
Thomson was a longtime customer at the Aria and had always paid back his credit on time. He remembers taking out a $10,000 marker earlier that night and paying it back right away at the table. When he woke up in handcuffs, casino staff told him security found him sleeping in the Sky Suites lounge.
When guards woke him up, he supposedly lashed out, which led to his arrest around 11:00 AM. He was kicked off the property and told not to come back.
Nobody told Thomson about the $75,000 debt when they released him. He only found out about the eight outstanding markers the next day when he contacted his VIP host to ask what happened. Thomson immediately said he was worried and asked for details, but the casino gave him no information. Similar to an unexpected intruder causing chaos, this case took a shocking turn.
Three months later, Thomson’s bank returned the markers unpaid. Some were marked “Not Authorized” and others “Non-Sufficient Funds.” The Aria then turned the documents over to the Clark County District Attorney’s office. Thomson was charged with felony fraud. To avoid the stress of an open criminal case, Thomson agreed to pay the $75,000 debt, and the case was dismissed in mid-October.
Thomson’s federal lawsuit now argues the markers are invalid because the Aria failed its duty to promote responsible gaming. He claims the casino was unjustly enriched by letting him borrow so much money while he was clearly unaware of his actions. Thomson is demanding a jury trial, but MGM Resorts International, Aria’s parent company, has not yet responded to the allegations.
Published: Dec 14, 2025 03:15 pm