Anti-gambling crusaders want more oversight after tragedy

LAS VEGAS - The head of an anti-gambling group urged closer scrutiny of the casino industry after a debt-ridden Michigan man returned from Las Vegas to kill his pregnant wife, his three children and then himself.

''If this was the only death related to gambling, I'd pass it off as anecdotal,'' said Tom Grey, executive director of the National Coalition Against Legalized Gambling.

''But pretty soon, you have to begin asking if this is harmless entertainment like the movies. I haven't seen people come home and shoot their families after watching too many movies,'' he told the Las Vegas Sun.

''What we're dealing with here is a problem that has tremendous potential for disaster. What we're getting now is a clear realization that you pay the price. In this case, we have innocent people involved.''

Jihad Hassan Moukalled, 42, a small-business owner, had just returned from a trip to the Las Vegas Strip's MGM Grand Tuesday when he allegedly killed his wife and three children before turning the gun on himself, police said.

In his Farmington Hills, Mich., home, police found a suicide note blaming gambling addiction - and $225,000 in shredded casino markers.

''I never ever had a bad intent toward anyone,'' Moukalled scrawled on a single sheet of paper. ''I think that I was gripped by the hope of 'One more shot.' I did not know how else to escape what I got myself into. It is over.

''There is nothing more destructive to life than gambling. A drug addict destroys his life, a gambler destroys his life and the lives of those he cares about and care about him.''

The victims were identified as his wife, Fatima, 31; daughter Aya, 7; son Adam, 5; and daughter Lila, who would have turned 3 on Saturday.

''The news regarding Mr. Moukalled and his family is extremely tragic,'' said Alan Feldman, spokesman for MGM Grand owner MGM MIRAGE. ''Out of respect for the entire family, it would be inappropriate for us to offer any further public comment.''

Farmington Hills Police Chief William Dwyer said Moukalled's printing business had amassed $500,000 in debts because Moukalled withdrew the money to cover his gambling. Three credit cards found inside the house carried $60,000 in debt, Dwyer said.

''Over the past two years, he's been making weekly trips to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, gambling large sums of money,'' Dwyer said.

During the latest three-day trip to Las Vegas, police said Moukalled had asked his business to deposit $85,000 into a bank account with hopes the money could be transferred to a Las Vegas casino. The bank wouldn't honor the check.

Gaming industry observers believe that the industry will take a hard hit from the tragedy, though they argued Wednesday that the MGM Grand shouldn't necessarily be blamed for what happened.

Bill Eadington, director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno said the heinous nature of Moukalled's actions suggest that he'd had problems far beyond his gambling addiction.

''That's pretty extreme,'' Eadington said. ''Most compulsive gamblers are very introspective ... when they turn, they turn against themselves. This is a case where a person is lashing out against everyone around him.

''Was gambling the only thing wrong with this person? Someone who has just lost a quarter million (dollars) in markers has lost touch with reality and is headed to the brink.''

Still, Eadington believes the tragedy should prompt a review of the procedures casinos use when making decisions to extend credit to patrons.

''Nevada has a tradition of letting the companies use their own standards,'' Eadington said. ''You do run the risk that some people will run up debt far beyond their ability to repay. But it sounds like he had a record of paying up.''

Bobby Siller, a member of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, expressed sadness over the deaths, and said the control board will ask for information on Moukalled's markers. But he stopped short of saying there would be a full investigation.

''We would obviously want information surrounding his gambling in Las Vegas and would want to determine what is factual and what is non-factual,'' Siller said. ''We want to ensure there were no regulatory violations or inconsistencies.''

Siller said the board would look at whether MGM Grand officials understood Moukalled's credit limits and his wagering habits. But he said there was ''no reason to believe'' MGM Grand had violated Nevada regulations, and said it would be unfair to blame the industry for the tragedy.

''Life has choices, and gaming is no different than most things in life,'' Siller said. ''Do we change a whole industry? I don't think so. Did we do everything possible to identify the potential of this person taking this drastic action? That's what we'd want to know.''