Chips hit the fan at Atlantic City poker tournament

Anyone one of you poker players in on this?

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Saying they have confirmed that one or more people used “a significant number of counterfeit chips” at an Atlantic City poker tournament, state casino regulators on Saturday canceled the tainted match and ordered all prize money frozen until an investigation is complete.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement canceled the first event of the Borgata Winter Poker Open. It had suspended the game Friday after suspicions about the use of fake chips arose.
No charges have been filed in the case.
“Thus far, investigators have found that one or more tournament entrants improperly introduced a significant number of counterfeit chips into the tournament, gaining an unfair advantage and compromising the integrity of play for the event,” Tom Ballance, the Borgata’s president and chief operating officer said Saturday.
“It is extremely unfortunate that the criminal actions of these individuals can have a detrimental impact on more than 4,000 other entrants,” he said. “We fully understand and regret the disappointment this cancellation causes our valued customers, and we will work diligently with DGE investigators to resolve the situation as quickly as possible. The integrity of our games and the confidence of our players is of the utmost importance to us.”
Ballance said the Borgata has thoroughly examined its remaining stock of chips, which were cleared by investigators for use in dozens of other events in the poker tournament, which will be played as scheduled.
It was not immediately clear what would happen with the entrance fees paid by people who participated in the tainted match. The Borgata said the state ordered “that all unpaid prize money be held in trust until more details and resolution can be determined.”
New Jersey State Police said Saturday the investigation is ongoing and that no arrests had been made.
The event under scrutiny is the tournament’s Big Stack, No Limit Hold ‘Em event. It began on Tuesday and had a $560 buy-in. There were 27 people remaining in the contest when play was suspended.
Joe Lupo, the casino’s senior vice president, said concerns arose during play Thursday night. The tournament was scheduled to resume at noon on Friday, but he said it was suspended before that could happen. He would not say what raised concerns about the integrity of the game, saying it was part of the ongoing investigation.
Customers wanting to participate in the tournament go to a registration area at the Borgata, pay the $560 entry fee, and go to a table, where they are given 20,000 chips to use in the poker games. By sneaking fake chips onto the table or otherwise introducing them into the game, a cheating player would benefit by having more chips than he or she had paid for, and is able to last longer in the game. The tables are watched by multiple security cameras, but casino and state officials would not discuss what, if any, evidence they have uncovered of cheating during the games.
The 18-day series of tournaments is a regular feature at the Borgata. The casino’s website said the championship event, which starts Sunday, Jan. 26., would include a $3 million prize guarantee.
The investigation does not involve Internet gambling, which began late last year and which the Borgata has dominated in the early going.

How does someone add to his stack without his competitors noticing?

Just what Atlantic City needs....controversy of any kind.


I always wondered how easy/difficult it would be to counterfeit chips.

Wonder if there were any forumville posters involved?

awmllc?

just kidding - i had a few friends there for the series.
apparently huge clusterfuck (bad dealers, not coordinated well, etc..) - sounds like around 1 million chips added (about 200 5K gray chips) - either bringing them back after break, when switching tables, etc...

it's unrealy they cancelled the tourney with 27 people left....

on one hand you have people who busted, who could get refunds
then you have those in final 27, looking for a huge score, have no clue what their payout might be

Wow, NBC news will be blaming Chris Christie for sure

there is no cheating in poker

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/...cle_06e584b2-bf60-11e3-af8c-001a4bcf887a.html

[h=1]Alleged poker scam leads Atlantic City casino to switch to high-tech chips for latest tournament[/h] By JENNIFER BOGDAN Staff Writer | Posted: Tuesday, April 8, 2014 4:54 pm
After nearly being duped by a forged chips scam earlier this year, an Atlantic City casino is tightening security measures for its latest poker tournament
New tournament chips identifiable with an ultraviolet light and marked by more colors and more detailed design were used for the first time Tuesday in the Spring Poker Open at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. Casino officials said the move was a direct result of an alleged attempt by a North Carolina man to rig play with counterfeit chips, some of which he later flushed down a hotel room toilet.
The added expense to the cost of the more detailed chips is significant but necessary, Borgata Senior Vice President Joe Lupo said. He declined to provide the exact difference in the cost between the high-security chips and standard tournament chips.
“Considering that we have biggest poker tournaments on the East Coast and we expect to continue to do so, it’s imperative that we ensure that our customers have confidence in the integrity of the tournaments,” Lupo said.
Borgata decided to upgrade to enhanced security chips, in part because the casino had to buy new chips for its latest tournament as some denominations of chips are still sequestered as evidence in the ongoing investigation of the January tournament, Lupo said.
In January, police arrested a North Carolina man who they said had introduced 160 forged chips into Event 1 of the Borgata Winter Poker Open and charged him with theft and rigging a public contest. The man, Christian Lusardi, had received packages of plastic chips from Hong Kong and used spray paint to create the forgeries, according to court documents.
Lusardi, who won $6,184 in the tournament, was caught after he attempted to flush some of the chips down a toilet in his Harrah’s Resort and Casino hotel room, causing plumbing problems at the property.
The case remains under investigation by State Police and the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, DGE spokeswoman Kerry Langan said.
The tournament that began Jan. 14 remains suspended by regulators, and $1.5 million in the prize pool remains frozen. A class action lawsuit was filed in New Jersey Superior Court in February, alleging that the casino failed to properly supervise the event. The lawsuit seeks refunds of the players’ buy-ins and other incidental costs.
Lupo said Borgata will now conduct periodic checks of its new tournament chips with ultraviolet lights throughout play for added security.
Contact Jennifer Bogdan:
609-272-7239
JBogdan@pressofac.com
Follow Jennifer Bogdan on Twitter @ACPressJennifer

Is that the Joe Luppo that used to be at the Stardust sports book?

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/...cle_d5f9a6f2-c433-11e3-a945-0019bb2963f4.html


[h=1]Refunds from the Borgata Winter Poker Open[/h] Posted: Monday, April 14, 2014 8:21 pm
- Borgata has determined that 2,143 entrants are entitled to a $560 refund. Those eligible will receive a refund check from the casino within 10 business days.
- The 27 players who were still alive in the tournamentwhen the tournament was halted will each receive $19,323. A Borgata representative will contact the finalists to discuss payment processing.
- Anyone with questions is asked to call 317-1000 and ask for the Winter Poker Open Hotline.

5teamparlay said:

Lusardi, who won $6,184 in the tournament, was caught after he attempted to flush some of the chips down a toilet in his Harrah’s Resort and Casino hotel room, causing plumbing problems at the property.

Click to expand...

hno:

https://www.cardschat.com/news/fake-poker-chips-scandal-sends-north-carolina-man-to-prison-16011


[h=1]Fake Poker Chips Scandal Sends North Carolina Man to Prison[/h]<small>October 23rd, 2015 by Jon Sofen</small>

Christian Lusardi, a 43-year old poker cheater from New Jersey, was sentenced to five years in prison for using fake poker chips in a Borgata tournament. (Image: Poker News)

Getting caught using fake poker chips in a real casino can cost someone many years of freedom.
Just ask 43-year old Christian Lusardi of North Carolina.
Lusardi was sentenced to five years in New Jersey prison on Thursday, two months after pleading guilty to second-degree trademark counterfeiting.
Prior to his most recent conviction, Lusardi was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $1,137,864.01 in restitution for Copyright Infringement and Trafficking in Counterfeit Labels.
For his current scandal, Lusardi admitted to using counterfeit chips in a poker tournament at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City in 2014.
After discovering the police were onto him, he flushed additional counterfeit chips down the toilet in his hotel room at .
Lusardi taught home owners a valuable lesson that flushing poker chips down a toilet may cause serious damage to plumbing. He was ordered to pay Harrah’s $9,455 for repairs.
That money is merely a drop in the bucket compared to the $463,540 he must ship the Borgata for restitutions.
[h=2]Poker Tournament Ruined[/h]During the 2014 Borgata Winter Open Big Stack, play was suspended three days into a tournament that was set to last three weeks after a plethora of counterfeit chips were discovered in play.
With $1.5 million in prize money yet to be awarded to the remaining 27 players, the Borgata found over $800,000 in non-cash value counterfeit tournament chips had been used during the tournament.
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement reviewed the situation and determined the proper course of action was to cancel the tournament and return entrance fees to all players. Lusardi busted from the tournament on Day Two, but won $6,814.
After investigation, it was determined Lusardi was the culprit.
He bought standard poker chips from a Chinese manufacturer, then stamped a counterfeit Borgata logo on each chip. Investigators found more than $3.6 million in counterfeit chips in his hotel room.
[h=2]Preventing Cheating in Poker[/h]Scandals such as these can be harmful to the long-term success of the game. Numerous cheating scandals, online or in live casinos, may scare off potential new players.
This isn’t the only damaging poker-related scandal in recent years. This past summer, the World Series of Poker investigated possible cheating during a $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Heads-Up event. No charges were ever filed and no wrongdoing was found, however.
Poker pro Brian Hastings found himself in hot water in recent months for allegedly playing in a tournament on PokerStars using a friend’s account. Hastings has never publicly admitted to nor denied the allegations.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Hastings has been accused of cheating. In 2009, he won approximately $4 million from Victor Blom, otherwise known online as “Isildur1” on Full Tilt Poker.
Hastings allegedly colluded with fellow pros Brian Townsend and Cole South to gain an unfair advantage over Blom.
There has been many other scandals throughout the poker world in recent years. They are all bad for the game. Now that Christian Lusardi is locked up, at least one detriment to the game has been eliminated.

Now that's a Royal Flush