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s part of a long-running lawsuit between Richard Heidner and Dan Fischer, records of the text messages were filed. In one text, Heidner told Leff that he was on the brink of losing everything if he lost the gambling cafe locations. Heidner suggested he could reverse his fortunes by assembling investors to buy out both Fischer and a partner.
The disciplinary case is centered on text messages which Heidner, Gold Rush Gaming’s founder and secretary, sent to Gary Leff, whose company owned Stella’s and Shelby’s chain of gambling cafes. That chain was being purchased by Fischer, who told Heidner he was replacing Gold Rush’s gambling machines with devices from his preferred supplier. Heidner faced the loss of machines at 44 locations that accounted for nearly a quarter of his company’s gambling revenue, according to both Heidner and Gaming Board records.
Heidner wrote to Leff of a meeting with Fischer: “I begged him not to destroy me, my family and my company. I spent a humiliating hour and a half. The first thing I asked was if he would sell and I could get a group together quickly and would get him $5,000,000 more than he paid please make $5 (million), in a week. I told him none of my friends wanted to see this happen to me. He obviously said no.”
Due to the text mentioned above and its claim that Heidner could pay Fischer an additional $5 million, that Gaming Board officials had said amounted to an “illegal inducement”, according to Chicago Tribune.
The deal states that Heidner knew the text messages were “unprofessional.” All the same, the deal, goes on to say that neither party admitted “wrongdoing, liability or mistake.” It states that Gold Rush will continue as a gaming terminal operator in good standing.
The settlement represents a win for Heidner, who has been battling gambling regulators and his rival Fischer in court. In October 2019, Heidner’s bid to build a southwest suburban horse racing track and casino was halted by Gov. J.B. Pritzker after a Tribune investigation revealed long-standing dealings with a convicted bookie and a banker with alleged mob ties.
A statement from Gold Rush’s representatives said the settlement had “vindicated” the firm.
Gaming Board Administrator Marcus Fruchter told the board before it voted on the settlement that his staff had “learned information and obtained evidence and materials that added clarity and context to the events underlying the disciplinary complaint.”
Heidner said in the statement: “After 18 months of denying false accusations from adversaries and fighting to protect my business, my family, and my reputation, I’m grateful that the IGB closely reviewed and considered the facts and evidence demonstrating that I did not offer an illegal inducement as the disciplinary complaint alleged.”
Heidner and Gold Rush also agreed in the settlement to end lawsuits against the Gaming Board, including one that accused an agency employee of leaking sensitive information to the federal government.
A December 2019 Gaming Board demand, that Heidner parted ways with a key employee the agency said associated with people who “pose a threat to the integrity of video gaming.” Ronald Bolger, Gold Rush’s director of operations, denied the associations, and the Gaming Board dropped the complaint as part of another settlement.
