I didn't want to hijack the thread I originally posted about Art in, but it seems there was some possible interest. So I thought I'd start a new thread here where if folks are interested I can go into more detail, expound on various issues and answer any questions anyone might have...
First off if you don't know, Schlichter was the Heisman runnerup at OSU. He was an All American Sports Illustrated cover boy as a soph,and had a world of potential. Which he squandered...
I found this video which provides basic details of his gambling problems in high school, college and the serious problems he got into in the NFL. It's interesting that they skip from his 1988 release from the CFL to his 1990 signing with the Detroit Drive, because that was when he was in Vegas and my experiences with him began. I can't remember if it was 1988, or more likely 1989 when I first met Art at the Stardust.
At the time I met him he was sort of a quasi celebrity. I didn't know a lot about the gambling issues he had earlier which are detailed in the video, more just the basics. If anyone remembers a business on Lafayette Road (indy) in the 80s called Don's Furniture, it was the owner Don (Benge, I think?) that first introduced me to Art.
Don was a high roller who would come to Vegas sometimes months at a time and like me would spend his nights at the Dust. I was definitely not a high roller, but Don liked that I was from Indy and whenever we crossed paths in the Dust at night he would always insist I hung out with him and his entourage. On one of those nights, Don introduced me to Art, who was pleasant enough but definitely not interested in anything more social than hanging around Don and his money...
When Don was in town Art and I saw each other virtually every night and Art was distant but at least sociable. But if Don was back in Indy, Art and I would still encounter each other virtually every night at the Dust and Art would basically just ignore me, and not even acknowledge that I existed. It never really bothered me, I never considered us friends.
We both knew each other only thru Don, and more importantly I think Art knew I was just a local casino runner, who hung out at the Dust at night and had nothing to offer him financially. Don was a jovial guy who hit it off with me because of the Indy connection and he enjoyed throwing money around. That was Art's purpose in gravitating to him...
Then one night an event occurred which ultimately led to a shift in my relationship with Art. It started out fairly inconsequential... I was walking thru the Riviera and happened upon a table where Art was playing (and of course losing) Blackjack. I saw him and meant to just continue walking on by, but Art out of nowhere greets me like we're bosom buddies and cons me into loaning him $100.
I knew better but I thought what the hell I see him all the time and he'll eventually have the cash to pay me back. So I gave Art $100 of my hard earned money and continued on my way to the back exit of the Riv. And I never saw Art again...
Until one day months later I got in line to cash a ticket at the Dust and there was Art. I had just read that he had been signed by the Detroit Drive, so I knew he was leaving town and I'd likely never see him again. So I decided to hit him up for the hundo, and of course he didn't have it on him.
But instead he offered me a business proposition...He told me he was leaving that day and he needed a guy in Vegas he could trust. We'd be partners, my job was to call him with the early lines and then take whatever money he'd send me to the casino and make the bets he wanted placed.
I already had a beeper from my job running, so that was how we'd stay in touch. He wanted to operate 7 days/wk because the man craved ACTION. He'd wire me money daily, I'd spend the day making plays,and then at the end of the day I could keep 10% of what he profited. At the time it sounded like a win/win.
However I soon realized how important the stipulation regarding "profit at the end of the day" was. Because the dude was sick. He'd make all these straight plays thruout the day and have some good wins.
But in the evening he'd insist on rolling it all over into some ridiculous 3-5 team parlay, and with a few exceptions he'd lose. So intead of having a bankroll from one day to the next for us to play with,he'd have to scrounge up more money (from wherever) to have money to wire me the next day.
On the rare occasions when he did turn a profit, my next day would consist of taking a cab to various bars and joints in parts of Vegas I didn't know existed to pay off his gambling debts. These were the places that unlike the legit casinos that required CASH, Art could manage to get various bookies to allow him to play (and loose) on credit. I'm not sure it was mob action but it was dicey and I always just paid at the bar with actual patrons around.
But those are things I didn't know that morning at the Dust when I reluctantly agreed not to press him for the hundred. He even told me he'd be back East in time to send me $$ for a play on the Ky Derby later that day. I took that with a grain of salt, just like I was not sure I'd ever see any $$ wired to me every day.
But sure enough later that day he beeped me, relayed some cash and instructions for a play, which I went to the desk and made. And of course it lost, which meant no profit for that first day and no 10% for me. And unfortunately that became a recurring theme for our business relationship. But at the time out of the blue it seemed like it could be a profitable venture for me.
If I only knew then...
First off if you don't know, Schlichter was the Heisman runnerup at OSU. He was an All American Sports Illustrated cover boy as a soph,and had a world of potential. Which he squandered...
I found this video which provides basic details of his gambling problems in high school, college and the serious problems he got into in the NFL. It's interesting that they skip from his 1988 release from the CFL to his 1990 signing with the Detroit Drive, because that was when he was in Vegas and my experiences with him began. I can't remember if it was 1988, or more likely 1989 when I first met Art at the Stardust.
At the time I met him he was sort of a quasi celebrity. I didn't know a lot about the gambling issues he had earlier which are detailed in the video, more just the basics. If anyone remembers a business on Lafayette Road (indy) in the 80s called Don's Furniture, it was the owner Don (Benge, I think?) that first introduced me to Art.
Don was a high roller who would come to Vegas sometimes months at a time and like me would spend his nights at the Dust. I was definitely not a high roller, but Don liked that I was from Indy and whenever we crossed paths in the Dust at night he would always insist I hung out with him and his entourage. On one of those nights, Don introduced me to Art, who was pleasant enough but definitely not interested in anything more social than hanging around Don and his money...
When Don was in town Art and I saw each other virtually every night and Art was distant but at least sociable. But if Don was back in Indy, Art and I would still encounter each other virtually every night at the Dust and Art would basically just ignore me, and not even acknowledge that I existed. It never really bothered me, I never considered us friends.
We both knew each other only thru Don, and more importantly I think Art knew I was just a local casino runner, who hung out at the Dust at night and had nothing to offer him financially. Don was a jovial guy who hit it off with me because of the Indy connection and he enjoyed throwing money around. That was Art's purpose in gravitating to him...
Then one night an event occurred which ultimately led to a shift in my relationship with Art. It started out fairly inconsequential... I was walking thru the Riviera and happened upon a table where Art was playing (and of course losing) Blackjack. I saw him and meant to just continue walking on by, but Art out of nowhere greets me like we're bosom buddies and cons me into loaning him $100.
I knew better but I thought what the hell I see him all the time and he'll eventually have the cash to pay me back. So I gave Art $100 of my hard earned money and continued on my way to the back exit of the Riv. And I never saw Art again...
Until one day months later I got in line to cash a ticket at the Dust and there was Art. I had just read that he had been signed by the Detroit Drive, so I knew he was leaving town and I'd likely never see him again. So I decided to hit him up for the hundo, and of course he didn't have it on him.
But instead he offered me a business proposition...He told me he was leaving that day and he needed a guy in Vegas he could trust. We'd be partners, my job was to call him with the early lines and then take whatever money he'd send me to the casino and make the bets he wanted placed.
I already had a beeper from my job running, so that was how we'd stay in touch. He wanted to operate 7 days/wk because the man craved ACTION. He'd wire me money daily, I'd spend the day making plays,and then at the end of the day I could keep 10% of what he profited. At the time it sounded like a win/win.
However I soon realized how important the stipulation regarding "profit at the end of the day" was. Because the dude was sick. He'd make all these straight plays thruout the day and have some good wins.
But in the evening he'd insist on rolling it all over into some ridiculous 3-5 team parlay, and with a few exceptions he'd lose. So intead of having a bankroll from one day to the next for us to play with,he'd have to scrounge up more money (from wherever) to have money to wire me the next day.
On the rare occasions when he did turn a profit, my next day would consist of taking a cab to various bars and joints in parts of Vegas I didn't know existed to pay off his gambling debts. These were the places that unlike the legit casinos that required CASH, Art could manage to get various bookies to allow him to play (and loose) on credit. I'm not sure it was mob action but it was dicey and I always just paid at the bar with actual patrons around.
But those are things I didn't know that morning at the Dust when I reluctantly agreed not to press him for the hundred. He even told me he'd be back East in time to send me $$ for a play on the Ky Derby later that day. I took that with a grain of salt, just like I was not sure I'd ever see any $$ wired to me every day.
But sure enough later that day he beeped me, relayed some cash and instructions for a play, which I went to the desk and made. And of course it lost, which meant no profit for that first day and no 10% for me. And unfortunately that became a recurring theme for our business relationship. But at the time out of the blue it seemed like it could be a profitable venture for me.
If I only knew then...
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