Borgata Continues To Grill Ivey And Sun
If the now semi-rogue world famous Poker player Phil Ivey thought that the bulk of his legal woes were behind him, he’s got another thing coming. New Jersey’s Borgata Casino has turned up the heat by lodging a cross-appeal in its ongoing legal strife with the high roller. The casino had initially instituted legal proceedings against Ivey for his involvement in an edge-sorting scheme that had resulted in his winning approximately $10 million at the Mini-Baccarat tables.
The filing of the cross-appeal follows Ivey and co-conspiracy partner Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun’s official appeal against the previous ruling made by a court of law. The court had ruled that Ivey and Sun were in fact guilty of unadulterated cheating, and the pair was ordered to re-compensate their winnings, as well as to pay in excess of a half a million US dollars in damages suffered by the Borgata.
No Spur Of The Moment Crime
The pair had accumulated their apparently ill games over the course of four multi-day games of Mini-Baccarat during the period 2010 to 2012. If the duo is in fact guilty of tricking the system, and the court currently hold that they are, then their cunning scheme amounts to nothing short of an organised financial crime.
Borgata Wants More
The initial verdict was handed down in 2016, but due to further complications in the presentation of the case, the pair could only lodge a formal appeal two years later. Shortly after the appeal was lodged, the casino announced that it would not take the backlash lying down, and proceeded to file the cross-appeal on September the 27th of this year.
Despite the initial ruling in favour of the Borgata, that Ivey and Sun return their ill-gotten gains together with damages, the casino believes that it is entitled to more than just the money that was stolen from its coffers.
According to calculations, had Ivey and Sun not committed their dubious acts, leaving the house’s edge intact, the casino would have benefited from roughly $5.4 million in additional profits.
The Borgata has said that it believes that this amount must be awarded in addition to the money stolen by the pair. A panel of judges are expected to make a decision regarding the final outcome of the matter soon.