Cosmopolitan Crosschecks Sharks Evander Kane Over $500,000 in Unpaid Markers

Posted on: November 6, 2019, 02:00h. 

Last updated on: November 6, 2019, 12:08h.

Todd Shriber @etfgodfather Read More
Expertise: Financial, Gaming Business, Mergers and Acquisitions.

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, like any other casino, takes seriously the extension of credit or markers to its patrons. San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane is learning that the hard way.

San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has Las Vegas problems that don’t involve the Golden Knights. (Image: NBC Sports)

On Monday, an entity known as Nevada Property 1, LLC, which does business as the Cosmopolitan, filed a $500,000 suit against the 12-year NHL veteran, claiming the player didn’t repay that amount in credit extended to him by the gaming venue in April.

According to documents filed in the Clark County District Court, Kane took eight markers from the Cosmopolitan in amounts ranging from $20,000 to $100,000 on April 15, 2019. That was in-between Games 3 and 4 of the opening round of the NHL playoffs, in which the Sharks were facing the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

San Jose went on to win that series 4-3 before advancing to the Western Conference finals. Kane scored eight points over the course of the playoffs.

Kane Can Afford To Pay

Assuming the legal proceedings don’t go Kane’s way, he can still afford to pick up the tab for the allegedly unpaid markers and the legal fees Cosmopolitan is seeking to recoup. In May 2018, the Sharks re-signed the forward to a seven-year, $49 million contract extension. He’s slated to make $8 million this year.

The court filing does not mention an attorney for the hockey player.

The Cosmopolitan is owned by private equity behemoth Blackstone Group. But rumors swirled earlier this year that the firm is looking to sell that high-end Strip venue. Blackstone purchased the integrated resort for $1.73 billion in 2014 from Germany’s Deutsche Bank, and put another $500 million into refurbishing the property.

It is believed that Blackstone could fetch around $4 billion in a sale of the property. Last month, the company plunked down $4.25 billion to acquire the real estate assets of the Bellagio from MGM Resorts International.

Not His Kind Of Town

Las Vegas isn’t for everyone, and that could be the case for Kane. Not only he is facing legal drama with a well-heeled casino owner, he’s still in the midst of a lengthy feud with Golden Knights enforcer Ryan Reaves, one that dates back to the duo’s days in Canada’s Western Hockey League.

The two engaged in a memorable fracas in Game 3 of the aforementioned playoff series and cooler heads don’t appear likely to prevail anytime soon.

In a recent interview with Hockey Night in Canada, the Golden Knights player confirmed that he and Kane haven’t gotten along since their junior playing days, and that the length of their feud could be approaching a decade.

“He always tells me he’s going to beat me up, but would never fight me. And it was just that constant — him chirping, chirping, chirping, and never doing anything about it,” said Reaves in the interview. “One time, it was pre-season, he waited until the refs came in and he sucker-punched me over the refs, and that’s just kind of what he always does.”

Kane attempted to vanquish his rival via Twitter, pondering the state of Reaves’ mental health by pointing out the two didn’t play against each other in the Western Hockey League.