Gambler vs the ‘Babes’: Card player accused of cheating says casino uses flirty women to distract

A professional gambler accused of cheating an Atlantic City casino out of US$9.6 million by seeking an unfair edge at cards says the casino has its own method of gaining an advantage: plying gamblers with free booze served by flirty, scantily clad waitresses.

Phil Ivey is using the unusual defence against allegations that he and a partner cheated while playing baccarat at The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in 2012. Both sides are suing each other over his winnings.

The Borgata claims Ivey and an associate exploited a defect in cards that enabled them to sort and arrange good cards. The casino says the technique, called edge sorting, violates New Jersey casino gambling regulations.

But Ivey asserts his win was simply the result of skill and good observation.

In a court filing this week, Ivey turns on its head the Borgata’s assertion that he and the associate sought an unfair advantage at the card tables. Ivey said the Borgata does the same thing by “plying him with free alcohol served by only the most curvaceous and voluptuous females in the industry.”

The casino declined comment.

The court filing quotes from a deposition in which Ivey recounted the attention Borgata employees lavished on him while he was betting US$50,000 to US$100,000 a hand.