Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Misc
Gambling-Addicted Lawyer Sues Atlantic City Casinos
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 9, 2008
Modified Mar 9, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 9, 2008
Modified Mar 9, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A Queens native who once made $500,000 as a New York City lawyer is now suing a number of Atlantic City casinos for $20 million, claiming they didn't notice her gambling addiction. Arelia Margarita Taveras owes $1 million from her gambling losses, but thinks the casinos enabled her.
Taveras, who represented victims' families in the World Trade Center attacks and Flight 587 crash, grew up in Corona, went to Cardozo Law School, and was, at the height of her success, making $500,000/year at her practice of 400 clients. She also appeared as a TV commentator and was named one of the "21 New Yorkers to Watch in the 21st Century" by the Daily News in 2000. But Taveras says her troubles began when she went to Atlantic City to relax.
"They knew I was going for days without eating or sleeping. I would pass out at the tables. They had a duty of care to me. Nobody in their right mind would gamble for four or five straight days without sleeping," Taveras told the AP. She says the casinos welcomed her with "high roller" perks, like allowing her bring her dog to blackjack tables and a limo to take her between casinos.
A lawyer specializing in Atlantic City gambling issues, Paul O'Gara, said Taveras' case is hard to prove, "How are you supposed to know whether this was a woman who was just having a good time, or had money and was just lonely, as opposed to someone who couldn't control themselves?"
Taveras, who used $100,000 of clients' escrow money to cover her losses and was charged with grand larceny and forgery by the Queens DA's office, was disbarred, lost her apartment and parents' home, and now works at a call center in Minnesota. She told the AP, "It's like crack, only gambling is worse than crack because it's mental. It creeps up on you, the impulse. It's a sickness."
Tagged
Arelia Taveras
Atlantic City
casinos
gambling addiction
lawsuit
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE miscellaneous
We visited 8 laundromats to talk about voting and elections. Here's what people had to say.
As we inch closer to Election Day in November, WNYC is turning some laundromats in the New York metro area into hubs of civic dialogue.
By
Jodi Malarbe
and
George Bodarky
Published Jun 23, 2024
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Misc
Aging with Pride: LGBTQ+ older adults share their personal journeys
As we mark Pride month, LGBTQ+ older adults share their struggles, triumphs and advice for today’s generations.
By
George Bodarky
Hands in the dirt: Meet some of NYC's community gardeners
By
Enrico Denard
and
George Bodarky
'In the very, very beginning, it was about 3 feet of garbage': How NYC’s first community garden got started
By
George Bodarky
Serving up BBQ ribs and a deep sense of community in the South Bronx since 1954
By
George Bodarky
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .