Terrance Watanabe

Uncommon card · No. 117600

Terrance K. Watanabe (born November 14, 1957) is an American businessman and high roller who inherited Oriental Trading Company, a company selling party supplies, arts and crafts, toys, novelties, and school supplies founded by his father Harry Watanabe. Terrance is known for successfully expanding the family business and for gambling extremely large amounts of money at casinos in Las Vegas. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Watanabe became president of the company in 1977; he later became CEO and turned the company from a carnival supplier into a party goods one. In 2000, he sold his stake in the company and retired, becoming a philanthropist and donating millions towards AIDS research. He then moved to Las Vegas, where he developed a compulsive gambling addiction at the Wynn and Caesars Palace. In total, Watanabe lost an estimated $204 million and faced four criminal charges on theft and passing bad checks, all of which were later dropped.

Read on Wikipedia · Image WagerTalk TV: Sports Picks and Betting Tips, CC BY 4.0