Crockfords Casino Sued by Poker Pro Phil Ivey
This was published 09-05-2013One of the best poker players in history, known as “the Tiger Woods of Poker” has issued a writ against Crockfords Casino in London’s High Court as he claims that the Mayfair casino owes him almost £7.3 million that he won playing Punto Banco (a variant of Baccarat).
Ivey claims that Crockfords,London’s oldest gambling club which is owned by the Malaysian Genting Group, is withholding money won by him during a private gaming session of Punto Banco when he visited the club with a female companion in August 2012.
Phil Ivey has been recorded to be the world’s sixth highest earner in Punto Banco tournaments and has already won an amount of £9 million in payouts from this game alone.
Although Ivey is “saddened” that it has reached the point where he has to file a claim against Crockfords Casino he has been left with no alternative but to do so.
Ivey made a statement in which he said “Over the years, I have won and lost substantial sums at Crockfords and I have always honored my commitments. At the time, I was given a receipt for my winnings, but Crockfords subsequently withheld payment. I therefore feel I have no alternative but to take legal action.”
During a visit to the casino last year Ivey amassed winnings of over £7.3 million after hitting a winning streak at Punto Banco. According to Ivey, although he was given a receipt for his winnings, Crockfords subsequently withheld payment giving him no alternative but to take legal action.
Instead of handing over his winnings to Ivey, Genting decided to open an investigation and flew investigators in from Kuala Lampur to review surveillance video footage, examine the cards used and interview croupiers and staff.
Genting confirmed that they will be filing their defense in the near future.
Crockfords was founded in 1828 and was sold to Genting gaming corporation in later years.
