Borgata was recently given a green light by a US District Court in New Jersey to go after Phil Ivey’s assets in Nevada which the casino estimates to be $100 million.
The case date backs to 2012 when Ivey and his female companion Cheung Yin “Kelly” Sun won close to $10 million playing baccarat at the Borgata casino using a controversial technique called “*edge-sorting*”.
Since then, Borgata has been fighting legally but so far the casino has failed to collect the $10.1 million.
Before seeking Ivey’s assets in Nevada, the Atlantic City casino had tried to seek his assets in New Jersey where he has lived over the years. However, all the efforts were in vain as the casino couldn’t find assets worth seizing in the Garden State. This led Borgata to go after his assets based in Nevada.
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In October 2018, Borgata upped the ante as its lawyers filed a motion claiming that they had located “substantial” assets of Ivey in Nevada.
As per the motion filed by Borgata attorney Jeremy M. Klausner, “Defendant Ivey has substantial assets in Nevada. That is where he lives and that is where his businesses are based. In contrast, he has no identifiable assets in New Jersey. Given the foregoing, Borgata satisfies the ‘mere showing that the defendant has substantial property in the other district and insufficient [property] in the rendering district.’ As a result, good cause is shown and Borgata should be permitted to register this Court’s December 15, 2016 [ruling] in the District of Nevada.”
According to the court filings, Borgata said that it had located five of Ivey’s properties and businesses in Nevada including Phil Ivey Enterprises, LLC; I.V. Ventures, LLC; and Ivey Poker, LLC. The casino estimates Ivey’s holdings at approximately $100 million.
“Although the extent of Defendant Ivey’s business holdings is unclear, it is believed that Ivey Poker, LLC is the entity behind Ivey League, Ivey’s poker oriented website,” Borgata’s legal team wrote.
“Ivey’s holdings have been estimated at $100 million, and the above shows these holdings, at least those that are ascertainable, are based in Nevada. Ivey has also disclosed a luxury home in Cabo San Lucas, MX on his social media account. It is possible that one of Ivey’s Nevada entities is the ultimate owner of this home.”
On January 29, the December 2016 judgment was approved by US District Judge Noel L. Hillman, just a day after it was submitted by Borgata’s counsel.
Ivey was scheduled to appear for a deposition on January 30, though it is not known whether he attended.
Borgata is not the only casino to have fought legally over the edge-sorting case. During the same year when Ivey won $9.6 million at Borgata, the poker pro also won £7.7 million (approx. $11 million) playing Baccarat at Crockfords, London. However, the casino temporarily declined to pay his winnings following suspicions of him using the edge-sorting technique to improve odds. Ivey sued the court for non-payment of his winnings but eventually lost the case.
For a comprehensive overview of the edge-sorting case, complete with timeline, head over to this article.
