- The winnings were accrued in a two day streak that saw him up £2.3m on the first day and a total of £7.3m by the second.
- ”Over the years I have won and lost substantial sums at Crockfords and I have always honoured my commitments.”
- No evidence of collusion or other cheating has been suggested by the company.
Phil Ivey has issued a writ against London’s Crockfords Casino, claiming that they have failed to pay him punto banco winnings totalling over $12m.
The dispute arose in August last year after the casino, based in one of the most exclusive locations in London, withheld Ivey’s winnings.
The club is owned by the Malaysian based Genting Group—a company worth tens of billions of dollars with 58,000 employees across the world.
In a statement, the legendary gambler and winner of nine WSOP bracelets explains the legal action: ”Over the years I have won and lost substantial sums at Crockfords and I have always honoured 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.”
The winnings were accrued in a two day streak that saw him up £2.3m on the first day and a total of £7.8m by the time he decided to cash out. The casino at first assured him that he would be paid, but then decided to carry out an internal investigation of its own.
No evidence of collusion or other cheating has been suggested by the company which went into great detail in its investigation, examining the “shoe” from where the cards were dealt and all other equipment in the room.
Some suspicion was raised by Ivey’s companion at the time, a “beautiful Oriental female friend,” according to one mainstream report last August. However, the casino has not published any accusations against Ivey and has returned his original £1m stake.
Phil has recently put his name behind a new venture, “IveyPoker,” recruiting a long string of professionals to “teach the world how to play better.” The world is still waiting for a launch date.
