It seems my report yesterday on Harrah's executive (and, former Las Vegas Mayor) Jan Jones got some attention. Tuesday on the Buffet I noted that while in England giving an interview, Jones spilled the numbers of a customer's action by claiming Celine Dion's husband gambles a staggering $1 million a week. This is a foundation violation of every resort's basic operating procedure. Or, as Norm of the Review-Journal put it today: "Thou shalt not divulge confidential customer information." After the Buffet brought Jones' comments to local notice on this side of the pond, Jones was quickly on the phone to Norm backtracking from the Buffet's report and apologizing. "Shame on me. I should have been thinking," Jones says. Not only that, Jones also retreated from that $1 million number she had claimed Dion's husband gambles each week. "I would have no idea what he gambles," Jones says now, contrary to her earlier statement. She tells Norm now that she was only repeating second hand something a Canadian scientist said on a panel about Dion's husband while discussing pathological gamblers. Not to be skeptical, but the ignorance Jones claims seems hard to fathom. All of the resorts keep very clear, complex and thorough records on high rollers. I would be shocked if Harrah's didn't know in exacting detail the entire history of any big player's gambling practice, numbers and everything else. I once reported on a well known casino host, Steve Cyr, who has worked bringing high rollers to play at Las Vegas Hilton, the Hard Rock and other properties in town. At a meal at the Hard Rock's Pink Taco, Cyr showed me a printout he gets from a subscription company on gambling customers and even potential customers. The spreadsheet was staggering in its detail about individuals play practice, gambling history, personal finances, credit worthiness and anything else that a resort could possibly want to know. It's hard to believe that Harrah's does not have something at least as complete on their players.

Jones, an experienced resort executive and politician,  wants us to believe that it was some anonymous Canadian scientist on a panel who taught the Harrah's executive for the first time how much money a Vegas high roller gambles. Curiouser and curioser