State officials cancel tainted New Jersey poker event

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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.
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Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
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