Phil Ivey suing Crockfords Casino for £7.8 Million

Last August, Phil Ivey had a dream run at the punto banco tables and earned £7.3 million in profits. Unfortunately, this dream quickly turned into a nightmare after Crockfords Casino withheld his winnings on grounds that he may have cheated in the punto banco games.

When Ivey left the casino, Crockfords launched an investigation to determine if cheating did indeed occur. The London gaming establishment failed to establish any concrete evidence, but they were suspicious of a beautiful woman who accompanied Ivey to the tables. She had her membership suspended at another local casino, which seems to be the only grounds that Crockfords is using to keep the money.

Unhappy that his winnings haven't been paid yet, Ivey has decided to launch a £7.8 million ($12.1 million) lawsuit against London's oldest casino. The nine-time WSOP champion discussed his lawsuit by stating:

"I am deeply saddened that Crockfords has left me no alternative but to proceed with legal action, following its decision to withhold my winnings. I have much respect for Gentings, which has made this a very difficult decision for me. Over the years I have won and lost substantial sums at Crockfords and I have always honoured my commitments."

Ivey has tabbed lawyer Matthew Dowd of Archerfield Partners to represent him in this case. Dowd said, “It is with great regret that Phil has been forced to issue court proceedings against Crockfords to secure payment of his winnings. The matter is now in the hands of the Court.”

There's no doubt that Ivey would like to have his money, as evidenced by the litigation. However, if there is one player who can do without £7.8 million, it has to be Ivey. Often called the world's best all-around poker player, he's earned $17.63 million in live tournament winnings along with another $17.22 million in online poker winnings. He's also won lots more money in live cash games too.