During the World Series of Poker in May, a high stakes poker player reportedly loaned a casino owner a few million to compete in a heads-up poker game. The casino owner never paid up and the case ended up in court. Back in June, Matt Kirk decided to sue Leon Tsoukernik for $3 million as he said he loaned the businessman in increments of that total amount and was never repaid. The case now continues with damages now being moved from $3 million to $1 million.
Kirk is a poker pro from Australia who stated that he loaned money to Leon four separate times on May 27th totaling $3 million. Leon is the owner of King’s Casino in Russia had reportedly said he would pay the loans in full once the poker game was over. In the suit, Kirk alleges that Leon never had plans to repay the money. Once the money was lost, the two stopped playing.
The case has been ongoing and on Monday, a judge in Nevada has decided that the case can proceed but the $2 million in gambling debt is not enforceable. Kirk will be entitled to damages if he is able to prove that Leon never had any intention of repaying the money. The legal team of the poker player will have to be able to prove fraudulent inducement and unjust enrichment from the game that took place at the Aria in Las Vegas to be provided damages.
The lawsuit originally had ten claims but those have been narrowed down to two. The legal team of the poker pro are calling the chips provided to Leon as business loans. The lawsuit states that Leon repaid the $1 million after he cashed in during a tournament for $1.8 million a few days after the game took place.
The publicity of the case is not good for Leon Tsoukernik as he is the owner of King’s Casino in Rozvadov, a venue that only continues to gain in popularity. This year alone, the poker room has hosted WSOPE And WSOPC events.
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