Stupak challenges Horseshoe

Gary Thompson

Tuesday, Nov. 17, 1998 | 11:01 a.m.

It was vintage Bob Stupak. And it was a public relations nightmare for the gambling industry.

There was Bob, trailing a phalanx of print and TV cameramen while strutting toward the cashier's cage, the dark glasses perched on his nose just a tad incongruous in the dimly lit interior of the Horseshoe casino.

There was Bob, demanding access to one of two safe-deposit boxes he's had for years at The 'Shoe while two hapless clerks tried to deal civilly with the chaos. Bob made them count out the bundled cash by hand, all 100 grand of it.

There was Bob, clicking away with his cheap plastic camera at the security guards and casino execs hovering around him while proclaiming he needed "a record of who you guys are."

There was Bob, chattering like a manic munchkin while stuffing $100 bills into a black plastic shopping bag. A few loose bills fell on the floor, but when you're cramming what totals up to about $200,000 into a little bag, those things happen. Bob never noticed, though a casino patron gawking at the scene dove to the floor and retrieved the loose hundreds.

There was Bob, handing a few hundred more to a nearby reporter and asking him to get a two-spot keno ticket for the next game. The reporter laughed but complied, and thus wasn't in the area when security guards ordered the media out. (The ticket was a loser, but the reporter got to see the rest of the show.)

There was Bob, clutching the cash-filled bag to his chest while baiting the burly casino security chief with cries of "I'm not letting this guy walk behind me!" Eyes gazing up, perhaps for divine guidance, Bob's lawyer Jim Jimmerson finally calmed down his charge.

There was Bob, trying in vain to cash a "chocolate chip," one of at least 40 of the brown $5,000 casino tokens he has that The 'Shoe refused to honor, thus sparking the circus that occurred Monday evening. Ironically, just 24 hours earlier, the Horseshoe had cashed in $600,000 of the chips presented by one of Bob's poker-playing pals, a high-stakes gambler who prefers a lower profile.

There was Bob, holding court outside the casino while clutching two female TV reporters in his arms, evoking fond memories of the moment in his mayoral campaign a few years ago when he tweaked the cheek of another TV reporter who'd asked an insensitive question.

It was, for Bob and the media, a fun time. And it was to be expected, for Bob is one of the legendary characters of Las Vegas, a guy who promised a stuntman $1 million to jump off his old Vegas World hotel and -- after the deed was done -- charged him a "landing fee" somewhere north of $990,000.

But it was a black eye for the gaming capital of the world, as well. For it was designed to embarrass the industry and its regulators by implying that casinos don't have to pay off their debts. And it comes just as the National Gambling Impact Study Commission begins writing its report.

Rumors are all over the map as to what the problem is with the Horseshoe chips, ranging from missing or stolen chips to cash-flow or accounting problems at the casino to a personal dispute with Stupak. But no one Monday offered a definitive answer and Horseshoe owner Becky Behnen declined to comment.

But according to lawsuits filed by Jimmerson, the Horseshoe refused Stupak's request to redeem $17,500 in chips on Oct. 4 and initially denied him access to his safe-deposit boxes.

Stupak is one of many gamblers -- especially poker players -- who keep cash in safe-deposit boxes at casinos around the city. If you're a high-stakes player, it's safer to do that than carry around large amounts of cash that might tempt robbers, such as those who victimized former World Series of Poker champion Doyle Brunson earlier this year.

After the Horseshoe denied his requests, Stupak gave a $5,000 chip to anti-gaming activist the Rev. Tom Grey, who was in town for two days of hearings by the federal panel investigating the gaming industry.

The casino also refused to redeem the chip for Grey, who has teamed up with former City Councilman Steve Miller in a fight against the industry.

Grey said Monday he'd agreed to participate in the lawsuits because he found it "startling and abhorrent that a casino would treat its customers so shabbily."

"This is a black mark that would make (Horseshoe founder) Benny Binion turn over in his grave," said Grey.

Jimmerson said Horseshoe executives attempted to justify their refusal to redeem Stupak's chips by claiming they needed "verification" he'd acquired them properly. It was a claim Horseshoe officials repeated Monday in their faceoff with Stupak.

The attorney said there are more than 100 gamblers holding Horseshoe chips representing several million dollars that will be taken out of circulation Jan. 13. The class-action lawsuit, filed to protect those gamblers, seeks to force the casino to honor the chips, and asks for compensatory and punitive damages and costs.

Meanwhile, the irrepressible Stupak will no doubt continue to make waves in an industry striving for respectability. And while he often makes regulators and corporate honchos cringe in horror, Stupak is always entertaining.

Thank you, Bob.