Phil Ivey to repay $10.1m after losing court case

Ivey must repay the total sum of $10.1m to Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino and Hotel after a court ruling.

This follows a series of legal difficulties for the poker star, after a London Appelette court refused his appeal against Crockfords, who held his $12m winnings on suspicion of cheating during a game of baccarat.

A court in New Jersey have now ruled that Ivey must repay the $9.6m winnings of a mini-baccarat session, plus the $504,000 which Ivey won with his winnings during a game of craps. However, Ivey was spared Borgata’s further claims for the $15.5m which they would have won from the poker star if the house was given its true edge. The court ultimately deemed this claim to be “too speculative”. Borgata also brought a case of fraud before the court, which was similarly dismissed.

The judge ultimately ruled that the house edge is a defining characteristic of the games of baccarat, and thus Ivey’s attempts to sway the odds in his favour means the game cannot be considered to be baccarat and is not regulated by the New Jersey Casino Control Act.

“By using cards they caused to be maneuvered in order to identify their value only to them, Ivey and Sun adjusted the odds of baccarat in their favour,” US District Judge Noel Hillman said in his ruling. “This is in complete contravention of the fundamental purpose of legalised gambling.”

Ivey has not yet commented on whether he will appeal the court’s decision.