A Gambling Budget for Mr. Celine Dion

Apparently, Celine Dion's tenure has been rewarding to Las Vegas resorts for an unexpected reason: her husband. Certainly everyone counted on the tables at Caesars Palace getting a lot of extra action during Dion's sold out stretches. But as a bonus, Dion's husband, according to a high ranking executive at Harrah's, helps that total by gambling a whopping $1 million a week. Harrah's Jan Jones, a former Las Vegas mayor, tells England's Observer:  "Celine Dion's husband is a big gambler. He probably gambles $1m a week. But he can afford to." It is rare for resorts to rat out how much a high roller gambles so specifically as Jones does in this interview. The comment was part of her torturous explanation to the reporter about the difference between responsible gambling and addiction. Mr. Celine Dion, you see, despite common sense, is a responsible player since that $1 million a week is within his budget. Interestingly, though Jones was a Democrat, this is the same argument offered by conservative commentator and former high stakes slot player Bill Bennett as to why his alleged millions in losses in Vegas were not a big deal. He too could afford it. 

photo by Richard Drew/AP