Class Action Suit Filed Against Borgata in Counterfeit Chip Scandal

An Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey resident Jacob Musterel has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of more than 4000 poker players who entered Event 1 in the Borgata Winter Poker Open at a $560 buy-in.

The case claims improper supervision of the poker tournament and its cancellation following the discovery of counterfeit chips.

Christian Lusardi, of Fayetteville, N.C., was arrested in January and charged with rigging the tournament.  Lusardi was found in an Atlantic City motel room after he attempted to flush chips down a toilet that totaled $2.7 million. 

The prize money has remained frozen since the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement ordered the tournament suspended on January 16.

The claim seeks refunds of the players’ buy-in money and entry fees as well as reimbursement for incidental damages, such as travel costs.

“In my 31 years in practice, I have to say this is one of the cleanest claims we’ve had,” Attorney Bruce LiCausi said. “Borgata holds itself as a respected provider of poker tournaments. They might say this is a learning experience for them, and while that’s laudable, it’s at the expense of the thousands who traveled to Atlantic City and entered this tournament under the expectation that it would be run properly.”

- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com