Caesars sings praises of Celine Dion's husband after gambling slip

Representatives of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas were backpedaling Thursday after a senior casino executive told London's Observer that Celine Dion's husband, Rene Angelil, gambled as much as $1 million a week.

The casino - where the Canadian pop superstar has performed for five years - went so far as to disclose Angelil's gambling losses to the media.

In 2005 and 2006, Caesars reports, Angelil's casino losses totaled $230,330, but were offset by his tournament poker winnings of $259,079.

Jan Jones, vice president of the casino's communications and government relations, also apologized for referring to Angelil by name in the Observer story, adding that she was speaking hypothetically and didn't know how much he gambled.

Caesars president Gary Selesner was also on damage control, releasing a statement to the media that said Jones' allegations were totally false. The casino, he added, was making the unprecedented move of publicly releasing Angelil's gambling losses with his permission.

"In life and business, Rene is a winner and one of the finest people I have ever known," Selesner said in the release. "Caesars Palace is very sorry for any embarrassment that may have resulted from the media speculation."