Gambling

If you've ever wondered what your legal rights are if a casino dealer claims to have overpaid you, don't look for clarity or comfort in the experience of William Conner.

The semi-retired Reno, Nev., auto sales manager who liked to play baccarat at Harrah's was wagering at three different tables one busy Saturday in 2008 when a pit boss tapped him on the shoulder and said there was a problem: Forty minutes earlier, one of his bets had been overpaid, the casino employee said, and loudly accused him of "stealing" $950.

Julien Leparoux is on a winning streak, on and off the racetrack.

Over the past 10 days, the French jockey landed the ride aboard early Kentucky Derby favorite Union Rags, revealed he'll be racing in New York shortly and flew cross-country to win the El Camino Real Derby in California aboard Daddy Nose Best.

LAS VEGAS -- In the days before the Chinese New Year celebration began this week, six high rollers sat down at the private baccarat tables one day at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and began throwing down wagers of $100,000 to $200,000 a hand. It was a scene hardly out of place these days in Sin City.

Big-time gamblers, primarily from Asia, are flocking to Las Vegas to play baccarat and providing a big lift to the overall bottom line of the city's casinos.

But after weeks of haggling, the Folsom, Calif., resident and USC fan found sweet victory when the Nevada Gaming Control Board ruled in his favor. His $200 check arrived last week.

"I've lost plenty of money in casinos over the years," Frith said. "It seems only fair that they actually pay on the occasions I do win."

Regulators had been taking calls from gamblers and casinos after Pac-12 officials changed the score of the Sept. 10 game two hours after it ended.

CHICAGO -- Hundreds of gamblers have stood outside the casino cage, adrenaline still pumping from their big win, only to be told the thousands of dollars they are there to collect have been confiscated -- for their kids.

A growing number of states have passed laws forcing casinos to intercept the winnings of deadbeat parents who owe child support, but not Illinois.

CHICAGO -- As Chicago prepares to own its own casino, Mayor Rahm Emanuel won't find many examples of government-run gambling halls to study in this country.

But there's plenty to see in Canada, and it's not all covered in gold.

In Ontario, the nation's largest province, publicly owned casinos have pumped billions of dollars into government coffers over the years. But increased competition and a poor economy have left the four biggest casinos with flat or falling revenue and operating losses in recent years that total tens of millions of dollars.

The Windsor casino employed 5,000 people at its peak after opening in 1995, but good times have turned hard in the last decade. The payroll of the city's second-largest employer is down by about half, and its fate has become a political issue.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Ernest Scherer III was sentenced to consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole Friday for the brutal slaying of his parents in 2008.