First things first (for those who don't know the story already). On January 18th the New Jersey Department of Gaming Enforcement cancelled the opening event ($2 million guarantee prizeopool) of the 2014 Borgata Winter Poker Open after concluding that someone had used a significant number of counterfeit chips in the tournament. On Friday, AP (Associated Press) reported that Christian Lusardi, 42, was arrested in Atlantic City in connection with the Borgata chip cheating scandal.
Apparently investigators found $2.7 million counterfeit chips stuck in the toilet drain pipes of his hotel room at Harrah's resort. Lusardi, who was the Day 1C chip leader and eventually cashed for $6.8k, has been taken into custody on charges of theft and rigging a public contest. The Borgata posted the following statement following the arrest last Friday.
"We are very pleased that the New Jersey State Police Casino Gaming Bureau has apprehended a suspect in connection with the counterfeit chip activity that compromised Event 1 of the Borgata Winter Poker Open. While this is a very positive development, the investigation by the DGE and the State Police is ongoing and Borgata remains under the order the DGE issued last week. Borgata will continue to work with the DGE and the State Police until this matter is concluded and a final order is issued by the DGE concerning the resolution of Event 1."
