California high roller who says he was drugged while playing blackjack in a private Strip gaming salon has doubled a reward to $1 million for information leading to an arrest.
Dwight Manley, a California real estate executive and sports agent with high-roller status at MGM Resorts International, sued the company after he says he was drugged with ketamine while playing in a high-limit area at MGM Grand in December 2021.
The suit, first filed in the U.S. District Court in Nevada in November 2022 and amended in March, alleges while he was under the influence of the drug, he was extended credit markers totalling $3.5 million and was allowed to continue playing.
Manley began his public campaign for information with a $500,000 reward in October 2023 while working with lawyers and private investigators, according to a Tuesday news release announcing the new reward. He’s also deployed a billboard campaign in Las Vegas.
“Any tip is worth looking at,” Manley said in the release. “Someone knows who did this and we want to keep it from happening again. I could have died.”
According to the lawsuit, Manley, a longtime VIP player from Brea, California, received an invitation in November 2021 from his casino host to come to Las Vegas the next month to play table games and in a poker tournament. The company provided a plane and luxury car transport for his stay at the MGM Mansion beginning Dec. 10, 2021.
