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Marcus Morris Sr. Says ‘F*CK VEGAS” After Paying Off $291K Casino Markers

According to Nevada prosecutors, NBA veteran Marcus Morris Sr. was released from a Broward County, Florida jail after paying $291K in debts to two casinos in Las Vegas.

“F*CK VEGAS,” he wrote on social media platform Threads. “To treat me like that was wild. I’ve gambled on that (sic) properties over 10 plus years! We could’ve handled that MOB style before that option,” he added, using “MOB style” as a slang term for handling things privately, without law enforcement.

Morris was taken into custody on Sunday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on two felony warrants that the Las Vegas Township Justice Court had issued earlier this year.  He was accused of stealing at least $100,000 in each case and of drawing or passing a check for $1,200 or more with the intent to deceive.

The free agent and ESPN analyst, a former forward who has played for the Cavaliers, Suns, Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Clippers, 76ers, and Rockets, was incarcerated for 51 hours.

Greater Debt Than Stated

Charles Thoman, the chief deputy district attorney for Clark County, acknowledged that a $291,750 wire transfer had been received, settling the outstanding obligations with the MGM Grand and Wynn Las Vegas.

That amount is marginally more than the $265K debt that was noted in court documents right after Morris was arrested.

“Money paid back and lesson learned,” Morris wrote on Threads, adding that the whole thing had been a misunderstanding.

"Say what you want but FRAUD will never be something I’m a part of or wasting my time with. Them coins ain’t changing no life styles on this side,” Morris continued, adding that “to sit for 51 hours no bail and not even a chance to pay it back ‘til after two days go by was outta pocket — 24-hour lockdown no food or water for the whole 51 hours. That’s the part that hurt me the most.”

After showing up in court handcuffed and accompanied by his twin brother and fellow NBA player Markieff Morris for support, Morris was denied bail on Monday.

The judge denied the request, stating that the player would only be freed if the arrest warrant were revoked due to the debt being paid off or if the player was extradited to Nevada.

Nevada Law ambiguity

On Wednesday, Morris acknowledged that he had been content to wake up in his own bed.  He stressed that no money was taken from the casinos for purposes other than gambling and said he was unaware that casino markers were legally regarded as checks.  Additionally, he denied writing bad checks to the casinos, despite what other news sites had claimed.

Refusing to pay back a casino marker is seen as fraud under Nevada law, and it is treated similarly to writing a bad check.

In addition to the marker amount, failure to pay more than $1,200 is usually prosecuted as a Category D felony, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in Nevada state prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.

Although a court hearing is planned for August 6 in Las Vegas Township Justice Court, both Nevada cases are still pending as of Wednesday.  After legal procedures are finished and the warrants are formally recalled, Nevada authorities say they will dismiss the cases.