Louisiana Casinos Face Federal Lawsuit Over Police Collusion to Identify Advantage Player

A federal lawsuit filed in the Western District of Louisiana this week alleges that two neighboring casinos worked with local law enforcement to circumvent state protections for skilled gamblers. The complaint centers on Eric Michael Temeyer, an Iowa resident who played blackjack at L'Auberge Lake Charles from approximately 5 p.m. on November 2, 2025, through 2:40 a.m. the following morning. When security requested identification before cashing out approximately $2,800 in chips, Temeyer declined. The cashier refused to redeem his winnings without ID.

Temeyer then moved to the adjacent Golden Nugget property, where security again requested identification. After he declined, he was asked to leave. While standing outside his vehicle in the parking lot, police arrived and demanded his identification. According to the lawsuit, when Temeyer asserted that officers lacked reasonable suspicion to compel identification under Fourth Amendment protections, an officer responded, "That's not how it works here," before handcuffing him. The officer allegedly searched Temeyer's pockets, retrieved his driver's license, and handed it to a Golden Nugget security employee, who photographed the document along with his license plate and vehicle. The complaint further alleges that an officer entered Temeyer's vehicle without consent to inspect its obscured VIN while he remained confined in a police car. He was released at approximately 3:36 a.m. without citation or criminal charge.

Later that day, when Temeyer returned to L'Auberge to redeem his chips, a cashier initially refused again but agreed to pay him after a telephone call, reportedly saying "There you go, Eric." Temeyer suspects this information exchange indicates the casinos shared his personal details.

The lawsuit cites a Louisiana statute that explicitly prohibits casinos from excluding patrons solely because of their skill level, stating: "A person may not be excluded from a gaming establishment operated by a licensee or the casino operator for reasons based solely on the skill level of the person." The complaint alleges the casinos sought his identification to facilitate exclusion as an advantage player, not to investigate cheating or other criminal conduct. While advantage play typically involves card counting, Temeyer's lawsuit does not explicitly describe his methodology. Card counting itself is not illegal, though casinos frequently eject suspected card counters.

The nine-count federal complaint raises serious concerns about casino surveillance databases that circulate information about advantage players between properties, potentially affecting their ability to gamble at multiple locations. This infrastructure reportedly enables industry-wide coordination that may conflict with Louisiana's statutory protections. The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages, potential punitive damages against individual defendants, and attorney's fees, though no specific monetary amount is specified. Golden Nugget and L'Auberge have not yet responded publicly to the allegations.