Sarah Koenig

But afterwards, Nofsinger started to get phone calls from Arizona, Southern California, Seattle, Mississippi, Massachusetts.

All gamblers with similar stories.

After a while, he started keeping track.

He's got a list now with about 40 names on it.

He told every one of these callers the same thing.

I believe you, but I can't help you.

Until Bachman.

Since she was already being sued by the casino, he thought maybe his counter-argument could get traction in the courts this time.

He hoped to make visible the very thing he believes the rest of us don't see or understand.

The lengths to which casinos go to keep gamblers playing, including addicted gamblers.

His argument boiled down to this.

Caesars had a duty not to protect Mrs. Bachman from herself, from her own gambling habits, but to protect Mrs. Bachman from itself, from Caesars.

When her gambling started, Bachman was a housewife in Iowa, the mother of three girls.

She started playing blackjack, first pretty small amounts, just once a week or so.

Soon enough, she was hooked, doing all the typical things addicted gamblers do, chasing losses, borrowing money from her mother to pay her debts.

Then at the very end of 2001, she filed for bankruptcy.

She says she'd written $20,000 worth of checks to the Harris Casino and Council Bluffs, and the checks had bounced.

Bachman says Harris knew about the bankruptcy, that even the dealers there knew about the bankruptcy.

She remembers having conversations with them about her bankruptcy.

Nevertheless, the casino welcomed her back.