Business

Missouri gamblers sue Ameristar over rewards program

Tuesday, March 20, 2007 11:36 PM CDT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) - Seven gamblers are suing a St. Louis-area casino, claiming they were cheated out of money, food and points when the gambling boat changed its video poker rewards program.

The suit was filed Tuesday against Ameristar Casino of St. Charles and its parent company, Las Vegas-based Ameristar. Attorney Arthur Muegler Jr. told STLtoday.com, the Web site for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, that he hopes the suit is certified as a class-action case, one that he said could affect as many as 300,000 casino customers.

The suit seeks $150 million in actual and punitive damages.

Ameristar did not mislead its customers, said Mark Van Buren, vice president and assistant general manager of the casino.

‘‘We feel the lawsuit is very frivolous and without merit,'' he said.

Like many casinos, Ameristar has a program that allows video poker players to earn points for food, cash back and ‘‘card'' status. The points are based on how much the customer gambles.

Starting in August, the casino changed its program so that customers had to spend $8 to $16 at video poker to earn one point. The lawsuit said that was two to four times the amount of money it previously took to earn the point.

The suit said the casino failed to alert customers to the change. It also cited a change in a food comp program that it said came without warning.

‘‘This suit is about a major business in this community just flat-out lying to a consuming public,'' Muegler said at a news conference.

Two of the plaintiffs are from St. Louis. The other five are from St. Louis County.