24 year-old Thomas McPeek from Chicago won $800,000 in parlay bets in late 2024, but both casinos that accepted those wagers are refusing to pay out his winnings.
Key takeaways
● An Illinois man won $350,000 in bets at a casino in Indiana and $450,000 at a casino in Iowa.
● Those casinos refuse to pay out those winnings, claiming the man violated house rules and anti-money laundering policies.
● Caesars Entertainment operates both facilities.
In August, McPeek claims he spent $30,000 in bets over a week at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, winning around $350,000. In September, he visited the Isle Casino in Bettendorf, Iowa. He spent another $20,000 over four hours and claimed $450,000 in winning tickets.
“I pull out cash from Chase Bank. I take about $20,000," said McPeek. "I sat at the kiosk for four hours just punching in my bets — bet after bet after bet after bet after bet,” McPeek commented on his second visit.
However, upon returning to cash his winnings at the Indiana casino in October, staff told him the casino voided his tickets for breaking house rules. He was also banned from returning to the casino.
Isle Casino also turned down his winning tickets, claiming McPeek breached the casino’s anti-money laundering rules, among other restrictions.
Caesars Entertainment owns both properties. Caesars is one of the U.S.' largest gambling operators and the force behind several famous casinos like Caesars Palace Las Vegas. The company also operates Caesars Sportsbook online, supplying both Iowa and Indiana sports betting.
McPeek has a history of clashes with casinos, receiving a ban from Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana. However, the casino's retail sportsbook operator, FanDuel, paid McPeek the $127,000 value of his winning wager before banning him.
Following his previous issues with casinos, McPeek goes to great lengths to disguise himself to protect his anonymity. He places smaller wagers at several kiosks rather than larger bets with clerks to avoid attention to himself. He said, “I'll switch up the disguise — sunglasses. I'll hide my hair in my hat, I'll put it up in a bun.”
Gambling regulators in Iowa and Indiana considered the case, but neither sided with McPeek.
Caesars expands online casino offering
While issues with Caesars’ retail sportsbooks at land-based casinos made this headline, Caesars recently grabbed the limelight with its online casino additions. The company released a new slot game with NBA branding, NBA Triple Double Power Combo, right in time for the NBA playoffs. Games Global developed the offering.
Meanwhile, Caesars expanded its partnership with game developer AGS to become the first online casino to host the Triple Coin Treasures slot.
