Top poker players speak out for indicted online gambling suspects
Some of the biggest names in the poker world have lined up in support of Asian gambling kingpin Paul Phua Wei-seng and his associates, who are accused of operating an illegal soccer gambling ring in Las Vegas.
Some of the biggest names in the poker world have lined up in support of Asian gambling kingpin Paul Phua Wei-seng and his associates, who are accused of operating an illegal soccer gambling ring in Las Vegas.
According to Nevada court documents seen by the , a host of top poker stars - including Phil Ivey and Andrew Robl - have paid bail costs and have expressed solidarity with the detained men.
A Las Vegas grand jury last week indicted Phua, 50, his son Darren Phua Wai-kit, 22, fellow Macau junket operator Richard Yong Seng-chen, 56, his son Yong Wai-kin, 22, and four others, for allegedly running an illegal international betting scheme worth billions of Hong Kong dollars during the soccer World Cup.
Their lawyers have vowed to fight the charges in court.
Ivey, considered by some to be the best all-around poker player in the world, put up US$500,000 for Phua's release, documents deposited with the court show. The remaining US$1.5 million was funded by Robl, a 27-year-old professional player originally from Michigan.
Ivey also contributed US$500,000 each for Phua's son and Yong and his son, court documents show.
At a court hearing to determine bail conditions for the two Yongs on Thursday, Ivey, a 10-time World Series of Poker champion, told the that he had "the utmost respect and trust for them".
