Fake Chips Bring Borgata Event to an Early Close

Fake Chips Bring Borgata Event to an Early Close

📅01 February 2014, 17:57

Shortly after Friday’s opening event, The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement canceled the Borgata Winter Poker Open due to suspicion of counterfeit chips being used. The Atlantic City-based poker tournament was shut down by state casino regulators on Saturday, who ordered all prize money frozen until their investigation had been concluded.

Following the events Tom Ballance, the Borgata’s president and chief operating officer said, “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.”

The remaining stock of chips had been carefully investigated and when no additional issue was found, they were put back into circulation. The event in question was Friday’s Big Stack, No Limit Hold’Em event, with a buy-in of $560. 27 players remained in the event at the time of cancellation with over 4,000 total entrants taking part in the tournament events. The event is part of an 18-day series of poker tournaments featuring a $3 million guaranteed championship event.

Suspicions arose during play Thursday night, according to the casino’s senior vice president, Jose Lupo. While initially set to resume play on Friday afternoon, authorities intervened and put a stop to the games.

Borgata representatives would not comment as to what, if any, evidence of cheating their security cameras captured.