Atlantic City casino hopes for quick end to fake-chips probe

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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — An Atlantic City casino where
someone may have used fake chips at a poker tournament hopes to learn on
Saturday whether the suspended games should be allowed to continue.
The
first event of the Borgata Winter Poker Open was suspended Friday for
24 hours by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement after
suspicions about the games arose.
"The Division of Gaming
Enforcement and New Jersey State Police are aware of a situation
involving counterfeit chips," said Lisa Spengler a spokeswoman for the
gaming
enforcement division. "The matter is currently under
investigation." She declined further comment.
Joe Lupo, senior
vice president at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, said more than 50
other tournament events are not affected and will be played as
scheduled. He said he expects the investigation to be completed by
Saturday at noon.
"The integrity of our games and our operations
is of the utmost importance to us," he told The Associated Press. "We
are determined to investigate this incident thoroughly, and will work
with law enforcement to prosecute any illegal activity to the fullest
extent of the law in the event any findings are discovered."
Lupo
and New Jersey State Police said no one had been arrested or taken into
custody as of Friday night. Lupo said the casino regretted "any
inconvenience or concern this causes our players."
"Within the
next 24 hours, we believe we will have enough information to determine
whether we can resume play, or must take another course of action," he
said.
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.
Lupo
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.
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.
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Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.

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