Phil Ivey Loses Another $10M Casino Lawsuit

Last Thursday, Phil Ivey’s long-standing dispute with the Borgata Casino finally came to a close after a New Jersey judge ordered the poker pro to repay $10.1 million in restitution to the casino based in Atlantic City. Ivey and his associate “Kelly” Cheng Yin won the money over a four-day period back in 2012, with the casino then suing the pair after edge-sorting accusations were made against them through the law courts in April of 2014.
The huge sum that Ivey will now have to pay includes $9.6 million won at the venue’s mini-baccarat tables, and a further $504,000 amassed at its craps tables, which was apparently won using his ill-gotten gains. In the court case, it was revealed how Ivey was able to take advantage of a manufacturing defect in the pack of cards to swing the odds of winning in his favor, but according to the US District Judge Noel Hillman’s ruling, this represented a “contravention of the fundamental purpose of legalized gambling” by ultimately adjusting the game’s odds in his favor.
Despite the hefty payout, at least Ivey and Cheng Yin had a few things to be thankful about. Firstly, fraud accusations brought against them were dismissed by the court, while the judge also rejected the Borgata’s request to be compensated to the tune of $15.5 million, which it said would have been the amount Ivey would have lost if not for his edge-sorting antics. Furthermore, there was no order to repay the $504,000 in high-roller comps the pair had received during their visits to the Borgata.
Nevertheless, Phil Ivey’s latest huge bill comes shortly after he was also ordered to repay the £7.7 million ($9.64 million) he won employing a similar edge-sorting technique against London’s Crockfords Casino the very same year. Ironically, it was Crockfords subsequent legal battle which Ivey that ultimately led to Borgata’s discovery of its own potential case.