Former Universal Head Allegedly Owes Casino $2.7 Million

Former Hollywood mogul, Ron Meyer, reportedly owes over $2.7 million to a Connecticut casino.

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority in New London Superior Court filed a suit against Meyer on May 8.  Meyer, a high stakes craps player, once helmed Universal Studios for 18 years.

From Patch.com:

He had signed a credit application for $6 million with the plaintiff on or about Aug. 14, 2015, and used the line of credit he obtained to gamble at MTGA's casino Mohegan Sun in Montville. He then "lost $5,000,000 in a single day," on Oct. 13, 2017, according to the complaint.

Meyer then signed over checks (known as "markers") to the casino to cover his debt. When presented for payment in April, 2018, all five checks were returned for insufficient funds in the account on which they were drawn, the suit alleges.

Meyer entered in to an installment plan on April 26, 2018, with Mohegan Sun to pay back the money owed, but stopped making payments as of Sept. 1, 2023. The mogul still owes the casino $2,782,500, according to the plaintiff.
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There is one slight problem.   Connecticut law forbids the enforcement of contracts enabling any type of gambling on credit, unless the controlling tribal-state compact expressly authorizes it, according to a Motion to Strike filed by Meyer's attorney Brian E. Spears last week.

In 2020, Meyer was said to have amassed $100 million in gambling losses and found himself part of an apparent extortion plot related to an extramarital affair. 

“I recently disclosed to my family and the company that I made a settlement, under threat, with a woman outside the company who had made false accusations against me,” Meyer said at the time.

He added: “Admittedly, this is a woman I had a very brief and consensual affair with many years ago.” Meyer was 67 years old at the time and Kirk just 20 years old.