Macklemore To Headline Sept. 30 ‘Recover Out Loud’ Concert At Westgate Las Vegas

Daughter of Westgate’s owners died from drug overdose at 18
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Mike Seely has written about horse racing for The Daily Racing Form and America’s Best Racing, and has contributed pieces on a multitude of topics including casinos to The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, among other publications. He can be reached on Twitter (@mdseely) or via email at [email protected].

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Despite the fact that “her father was a billionaire,” Victoria Siegel “was a typical teenager,” says her mom, Jackie, the wife of Westgate Resorts founder David Siegel.

“She wanted to be in public schools,” Jackie told US Bets. “She wanted to fit in and be like an average kid. She had the same types of things that all teenagers go through — stresses of school, bullying, people introducing her to drugs. She also had goals in life — to open up her own restaurant someday and to do amazing things. But she got caught up in depression, weight gain, weight loss — everything that teenagers experience. 

“Unfortunately, she turned to drugs.” 

In describing the root of his daughter’s exposure to narcotics, David said she “had mood problems,” so he and Jackie “thought it’d be best to send her to counseling.”

“She came home from the psychiatrist and said, ‘He put me on Xanax,’” added David. “I didn’t know Xanax from aspirin. A couple months later, when she was going through another one of her mood changes, we sent her back and she came back and she said he doubled her dose of Xanax. And that began this spiral. When she finally went to a rehab center, she came out six days later and said she was cured. What I’ve learned since her death is that you cannot get over a drug addiction in six days.”

During those six days, Victoria, then 18, fell in love with a 26-year-old heroin addict whose stint was court-ordered. Once Victoria’s boyfriend got out of rehab, Jackie says “he introduced her to heroin and, a month later, she was dead” from an overdose of methadone and the anti-depressant sertraline.

‘No one was talking about drug overdoses’

Having hailed from a high-profile family that was the subject of a buzzy documentary, The Queen of Versailles, Victoria’s death in 2015 made the tabloids. 

“Since it was already out there, we figured we might as well come forward and open parents’ eyes,” said Jackie. “When Victoria died, no one was talking about drug overdoses.”

Since their daughter’s passing, the Siegels have launched the Victoria’s Voice Foundation in her honor and will host “Recover Out Loud,” a Sept. 30 concert with Macklemore as the headliner, at Westgate Las Vegas’ International Theater. The event will be live-streamed on iHeart’s Facebook and YouTube channels, and will cap off a week of recovery-oriented activities involving the Siegels’ casino that includes the NASCAR Victoria’s Voice 200 on Sept. 24 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Anonymity gives way to openness

A former addict, Macklemore has been very open about his struggle to stay sober, and recently admitted that he relapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic. His outspokenness mirrors a trend among people grappling with substance abuse and mental health issues to loudly proclaim their challenges and seek support among others in similar straits. This approach marks quite a departure for the recovery field, which has typically been associated with anonymity (Alcoholics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, etc.).

“I think it should be brought out in the open. It shouldn’t be anonymous,” said David. “The more people who hear or read about it, the better it is. It shouldn’t be kept in the closet. Parents are afraid of talking about it.”

“I know there are going to be some sorts of incidents, because of a job or a bad marriage, that need to be anonymous as an adult,” added Jackie. “But in general, there are so many of our youth that need to be connected and feel they’re part of something. It’s all about being in a group and feeling like you fit in. You’re going to be invited to the Macklemore concert because you’re drug-free.”

One of the Siegels’ major initiatives is to promote more widespread use and availability of naloxone, which is sold over the counter under the brand name Narcan and can prevent an opiate overdose if administered in a timely manner in conjunction with proper medical care. They’d also like the Westgate to be the home of a very un-Vegas endeavor: a drug- and alcohol-free nightclub that would open its doors to teenagers on weekends.

Jackie envisions the club as “a safe haven for people who want to be in a social environment, but not in an environment where they can be tempted.”

She added, “If it wasn’t for Victoria’s overdose, we wouldn’t even be considering this right now.”

Photo: Steven Bisig / USA Today

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