Just as a check, I called three of the Harrah's properties in Las Vegas, and apparently it is in effect at all of their properties now. The hold will vary per casino, but it looks to be anywhere from $200 to $500. This is VERY unusual for a hotel chain to do something like that, and signals alarm bells in my mind here.

Some of the MGM-Mirage properties do the same thing now, apparently. For instance, the Monte Carlo now has a $50 per night hold on the credit card, so if you're there for 5 nights, $250 is blocked from your use while there.

This is definitely going to cause issues later on down the line, I suspect.