A judge must determine whether Ronald M. Meyer is entitled to a jury trial in Mohegan Sun's lawsuit against him for over $2.8 million in outstanding gambling debts.

Prior to joining NBCUniversal as vice chairman, Meyer co-founded the Creative Artists Agency and was president and COO of Universal Studios from 1995 until 2013.

He quit his $25 million-a-year Universal job in 2020 after allegedly being blackmailed about a romance he had with British actress Charlotte Kirk, who was 20 at the time.

According to court records, Meyer lost $5 million at Mohegan Sun on October 13, 2017, which he covered with markers, the majority of which bounced.

He signed a repayment plan in April 2018 that called for $60,000 monthly payments. According to the casino's complaint, he paid about $2.2 million but stopped making any payments in September 2023.

Jury Conflict

The question of whether Meyer gave up his right to a jury trial by accepting Mohegan Tribal law—which forbids civil jury trials—is at the center of the legal debate.

Meyer "had a choice not to apply for credit at Mohegan Sun; he was not forced to come to Mohegan and gamble; and he was represented by very prominent Las Vegas, Nevada legal counsel in the negotiation of the Installment Payment Agreement that he signed, and which provides for the application of Mohegan law," according to Mohegan Sun's lawsuit.

Meyer's attorneys contend that a choice-of-law clause cannot supersede the fundamental right to a jury trial under Connecticut law.

"The Greatest Craps Player Ever"

There have long been stories about Meyer's enormous gambling, despite his brilliant Hollywood career.

In his 2016 book Powerhouse: The Inside Story of CAA, James Andrew Miller detailed how Meyer's gambling put him in debt to mobsters for several million dollars at some point in the 1980s or 1990s.

According to a 2020 Daily Mail article, "sources" connected to the former Hollywood executive called him the "biggest craps player ever" and said he had spent over $100 million on dice games over the years.

“[Meyer] would stay at the penthouse suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York while on business, and the vice president of marketing at Caesars Atlantic City would send a helicopter to take him to his casino,” the source claimed.

“He would blow between $5 million and $7 million at Caesars,” according to the source. “Once he exhausted his credit line there, the VP would take him to Foxwoods and the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut where he would blow $3 million to $5 million as well at each place.”

"Illegal Credit"

Additionally, Meyer's attorneys have contested the casino's ability to grant credit for playing in accordance with Connecticut law. In contrast to the Mashantucket Pequot deal for Foxwoods, the Mohegan Tribe's compact with the state, according to the complaint, does not permit the extension of gambling credit.

The matter will go to a bench trial if the judge rules in favor of Mohegan Sun. Before April 2026, a decision is anticipated.