Game Security: Borgata Introduces State-of-the-Art Poker Chips After January Scandal
Back in January, the Borgata Winter Poker Open $2 Million Guarantee was suspended, and ultimately cancelled, after counterfeit chips were introduced into the tournament. Christian Lusardi, 42, was ultimately charged with the crime.
In preparation for the 2014 Borgata Spring Poker Open, which is happening now, the Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa has introduced new, state-of-the-art chips for the 17-event series that runs from April 8-26 and culminates with the $5 million guarantee World Poker Tour Championship.
On Monday, Tournament Director Tab Duchateau tweeted a picture of some of the new chips, which have special markings, under a blue light. Since then, the tournament staff has been verifying chips at every table during each break.
Borgata Spring Open Event 1a 1 mil guar. Starts tom. at 11am. will be using new chips with enhanced security #warned
— Tab Duchateau (@TabDuchateau)
"This was very expensive, but very necessary," Borgata Senior Vice President Joe Lupo told the Associated Press. "In order to have the biggest tournaments in Atlantic City and as the market leader, we need to ensure the integrity of the games."
A member of the Borgata staff also told the PokerNews Live Reporting Team that there are "other" ways to verify these new chips. For obvious reasons, this verification process was not explained further.
"We will be checking chips randomly throughout the day using a new process involving the UV lights," Lupo concluded.
It should be noted that the European Poker Tour (EPT) was spotted using similar blue-light technology at its most recent stop in Vienna (see photo).
PokerNews will provide live coverage for each of the 17 events from April 8-26, including the $5 million guarantee WPT Championship, and you can follow all the action in our Live Reporting Section.
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