A Connecticut man well-known to casinos across the country as a card counter has filed a complaint against Horseshoe Baltimore and its parent firm, Caesars Entertainment, alleging unlawful imprisonment.
Jordan Kerr, a Connecticut resident living in North Haven, claims in a lawsuit filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court that casino security at Caesars’ Baltimore location wrongfully held him on Friday, October 18, 2024.
Kerr alleges that at 12:30 a.m., a Horseshoe shift supervisor asked him for identification while he was seated at a blackjack table. His complaint has subsequently been moved to Maryland’s federal District Court.
Kerr informed the woman that he would exercise his right to anonymity and leave the premises rather than provide ID. However, on his way to the door, Kerr claims he was encircled by casino security and informed that he was being detained and would not be allowed to leave.
The Horseshoe security supervisor and a Horseshoe special police officer informed Kerr that if he did not accompany them to the casino’s back room, he would be arrested and handcuffed. Despite Horseshoe personnel’s warnings that they would commit unlawful physical battery against him if he did not accompany them, Kerr proceeded to walk with them to the casino’s rear room,” the complaint claimed.
See also:
- Codere Online Stock Falls as Auditor Resigns
- FIBA selects 1xBet as its global betting partner
- Woman steals elderly mother’s retirement to go on gambling spree
Kerr claims he was told to sit and wait for the Baltimore City Police to arrive. City cops never arrived.
Unlawful Detention Claim
Kerr describes himself as a “advantage player,” a proficient blackjack player who employs legal strategies to get a mathematical advantage against the house. Casinos refer to such players as card counters, which is a blackjack method that determines if the dealer has an advantage on the next card.
Card counting is not illegal, but most casinos restrict it and will ban anyone suspected of counting cards. Kerr claims he was down after four hours of blackjack at the Horseshoe Baltimore casino.
After being confined in the casino’s back room for about 15 minutes, Kerr claims in his lawsuit that the security supervisor informed him that city police would not be arriving. Kerr alleges that he was read the casino’s trespassing policy before being told that his incarceration was finished and he may leave.
“Kerr did nothing wrong or illegal to justify being detained against his will and deprived of his liberty by Horseshoe Casino and its personnel,” his complaint stated. “As a result of Horseshoe casino’s false imprisonment of Kerr and battery they committed against him, Kerr has suffered loss of liberty, outrage, mortification, mental anguish, emotional distress, anxiety, loss of sleep, and hedonic injury.”
Kerr seeks $3 million in damages for two counts of wrongful detention and violence.
Horseshoe seeks dismissal
Kerr has already sued a casino for false detention. In 2018, he filed a similar case against Caesars New Orleans, formerly known as Harrah’s, citing similar grievances. The matter was settled outside of court.
Attorneys for Caesars and Horseshoe Baltimore claim there is “no legal or factual basis for punitive damages,” and have asked Maryland District Court Judge Julie Rebecca Rubin to dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice and hold Kerr accountable for the defendants’ legal costs.
Join us on all our social channels and groups
Gameongazette is present on:
