The casino industry is a vast world. Many establishments use enticing tricks and complex strategies to attract new players.
Whales (the biggest casino players), on the other hand, are not very difficult to retain. These whales or high rollers are often rewarded by the non-GamStop casinos they frequent with certain privileges, including private jets, limousines, thousand-dollar wines, and the largest suites. Sounds expensive? Certainly, but with millions upon millions wagered by famous whales, the casinos still come out ahead, even while smaller players explore options such as a non GamStop casino list ideal for low deposits. Perhaps no story is more heartbreaking than that of Terrance Watanabe.
President Of The Company
Terrance Watanabe is an American businessman who inherited the Oriental Trading Company, a business supplying party favours, arts and crafts, novelties, and school supplies. Upon taking over the company, Watanabe shifted production to focus on schools, churches, retailers, and individual consumers.
In 2000, he sold his stake in the company to the Los Angeles private equity firm Brentwood Associates. After resigning as CEO and President of Oriental Trading Company, Watanabe became a philanthropist—and later infamous as one of the biggest high rollers of all time.
Largest Whale
Watanabe isn’t just any casino whale; he was, and still is, the biggest whale the Strip has ever seen. In a single year, his losses exceeded $200 million. To put this into perspective: a minimum-wage earner in the United States would need to work for 66 years to earn under a million dollars—and that’s without spending any of it. Yet Watanabe lost over $200 million in just one year. It’s simply unimaginable for most people.
How And Why Did He Do It?
No one in their right mind intends to lose—especially not in casinos. However, Watanabe admits he is a compulsive gambler. In actions highly uncharacteristic of traditional casinos, several managers reportedly offered him prescription drugs, sometimes even illegal ones, to keep him gambling at their tables.
These actions were taken to court, as they were considered customer abuse in the United States. However, the cases were settled out of court; the fines imposed on the casinos, including Caesars Palace, were minor compared with the enormous amounts Watanabe had wagered.
Watanabe was considered a VIP among VIPs.
The casino industry is a vast world. Many establishments use enticing tricks and complex strategies to attract new players.
Whales (the biggest casino players), on the other hand, are not very difficult to retain. These whales or high rollers are often rewarded by the non-GamStop casinos they frequent with certain privileges, including private jets, limousines, thousand-dollar wines, and the largest suites. Sounds expensive? Certainly, but with millions upon millions wagered by famous whales, the casinos still come out ahead, even while smaller players explore options such as a non GamStop casino list ideal for low deposits. Perhaps no story is more heartbreaking than that of Terrance Watanabe.
President Of The Company
Terrance Watanabe is an American businessman who inherited the Oriental Trading Company, a business supplying party favours, arts and crafts, novelties, and school supplies. Upon taking over the company, Watanabe shifted production to focus on schools, churches, retailers, and individual consumers.
In 2000, he sold his stake in the company to the Los Angeles private equity firm Brentwood Associates. After resigning as CEO and President of Oriental Trading Company, Watanabe became a philanthropist—and later infamous as one of the biggest high rollers of all time.
Largest Whale
Watanabe isn’t just any casino whale; he was, and still is, the biggest whale the Strip has ever seen. In a single year, his losses exceeded $200 million. To put this into perspective: a minimum-wage earner in the United States would need to work for 66 years to earn under a million dollars—and that’s without spending any of it. Yet Watanabe lost over $200 million in just one year. It’s simply unimaginable for most people.
How And Why Did He Do It?
No one in their right mind intends to lose—especially not in casinos. However, Watanabe admits he is a compulsive gambler. In actions highly uncharacteristic of traditional casinos, several managers reportedly offered him prescription drugs, sometimes even illegal ones, to keep him gambling at their tables.
These actions were taken to court, as they were considered customer abuse in the United States. However, the cases were settled out of court; the fines imposed on the casinos, including Caesars Palace, were minor compared with the enormous amounts Watanabe had wagered.
Watanabe was considered a VIP among VIPs. Caesars Palace even created a special tier for him—“Chairman”—which ranked above the prestigious “Seven Stars,” making it the highest level offered by the casino. This earned him tickets to see The Rolling Stones, sponsored monthly airfare, and a $500,000 credit at the casino’s gift shops. Yet all these perks paled in comparison to the $127 million he lost at Caesars and the Rio Casinos in 2007.
The Payout
Without a business to return to, Watanabe was unable to pay his gambling debts to non-GamStop casinos and filed for bankruptcy. Even worse, he now lives without insurance and cannot afford his cancer treatments. Today, he has resorted to asking strangers for financial help, including setting up a GoFundMe page where he asks the public to forgive him for his past mistakes.
even created a special tier for him—“Chairman”—which ranked above the prestigious “Seven Stars,” making it the highest level offered by the casino. This earned him tickets to see The Rolling Stones, sponsored monthly airfare, and a $500,000 credit at the casino’s gift shops. Yet all these perks paled in comparison to the $127 million he lost at Caesars and the Rio Casinos in 2007.
The Payout
Without a business to return to, Watanabe was unable to pay his gambling debts to non-GamStop casinos and filed for bankruptcy. Even worse, he now lives without insurance and cannot afford his cancer treatments. Today, he has resorted to asking strangers for financial help, including setting up a GoFundMe page where he asks the public to forgive him for his past mistakes.
