Harrah's executive Jan Jones was on the telephone Tuesday, clarifying what appeared to be a violation of one of Las Vegas' golden rules: Thou shalt not divulge confidential customer information. In an interview with The Observer, one of London's most prestigious daily newspapers, Jones is quoted as saying Celine Dion's husband and manager, Rene Angelil, "probably gambles $1 million a week." Her remark, she said from Washington, D.C., was a misrepresentation. "All I was doing was tying it into what was said by a (pathological gambling) treatment professional," said Jones, senior vice president of communications and government relations for Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. In that role, she oversees government relations, corporate communications and community relations for the company. Jones acknowledges she mentioned Angelil in an interview with a reporter, "But it was not my comment directly. Shame on me. I should have been thinking." The original reference to Angelil, she said, was made by a Canadian scientist at a forum she attended last week. The scientist is involved in treating pathological gamblers. She added, "I would have no idea what he (Angelil) gambles." According to The Observer, the reporter asked Jones, "Aren't these studies funded by the gambling industry?" "Some are and many aren't," she replied. "The problem with problem gambling is not about how much you gamble. It really isn't. It's about gambling what you can afford. That's a very difficult determination. Celine Dion's husband is a big gambler. He probably gambles $1m a week. But he can afford to."
Norm Clarke (story) and Luxe Life (photo)
I wish I could afford to gamble $1 million a week like him. And you know that reporter was asked to say she was not referring to him?
