Poker star Jason Mercier has been taking a beating lately from rival Sean Perry. Not at the tournament tables, but on social media.
Perry, a high-level player, has lashed out repeatedly on X and Instagram with a litany of complaints about a person with whom he appears to have formerly been on more civil terms. The one-sided dressing down includes no shortage of epithets and accusing Mercier of taking bets on a major scale.
Around any poker room worth the name, finding someone willing to make and book a wager is hardly scandalous. In Las Vegas, the ebb and flow of millions in cash is commonplace. Whether it’s head-to-head betting or an illegal bookmaker with a list of good customers, getting money down on a ballgame is about as easy as calling for a cocktail.
With all that said, this is a particularly prickly time for poker princes and high rollers in general to be accused – even on the glorified wall of graffiti that is social media – of illegal bookmaking.
Federal agents with IRS Criminal and Homeland Security investigations have turned the cozy world of illegal bookmaking upside down in a continuing probe that has already led to the ouster of Resorts World Las Vegas chairman Scott Sibella for violating the Bank Secrecy Act’s know-your-customer provision. Sibella admitted he knew Wayne Nix was an illegal bookmaker at a time the former professional ballplayer was gambling high at the Strip megaresort.
Since then, the sports world has spun wildly with the news that the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani had ripped off the slugger for at least $16 million in connection with his attempt to pay gambling debts owed illegal bookmaker Matt Bowyer. That part of the investigation remains wide open, with approaching indictments rumored.
Former big-leaguer infielder David Fletcher, an ex-teammate of Ohtani’s during their years with the Los Angeles Angels, has also been mentioned in the investigation.
The federal investigation has rousted some casino marketing executives from their lucrative positions and resulted in longtime gamblers (some of whom have documented histories of illegal bookmaking) being banned from properties. Let’s set aside for now the possibility that the casino community – positively festooned with security executives and the latest technology – likely has known the identities of its cash customers for a long time.
Perry’s accusations are wide ranging and riddled with conspiratorial intrigue. His success at the tables aside, his young career has already generated more than its share of controversy.
Mercier, meanwhile, has multiple championship bracelets to his credit and has won many millions in his career. After winning a bracelet in the World Series of Poker in 2023, the Florida resident said in an X post, “It’s a title I’ll carry with pride for the rest of my life. The outpouring of support from friends, family, and the entire poker community has been overwhelming. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
I lend no credence to the potty-mouthed Perry’s comments, only to note that they’re coming at an especially heated time for cash players, poker kings, and, yes, illegal bookies, too.
Although some of his posts appear to have disappeared, I easily found one still on Perry’s X site, in which he replied to criticism from a friend of Mercier’s with, “… I responded by saying he’s just upset that I called out his scumbag friend @JasonMercier for all his illegal bookmaking activities he partakes in … I 100% know that he books billions a year worth of bets.”
The last time I checked, billions is an awful lot of money.
Former casino executive and regulator Richard Schuetz says the time is right for more scrutiny of the world inside the poker room.
“As a general statement, I believe that the Nevada Gaming Control Board should establish an undercover presence during the WSOP. It’s just good business. That event attracts a variegated crowd and from my previous experiences, there are some folks whose presence in a casino might bring disrespect to the licensee and the notion of regulated gaming.
“One wants to remember that the WSOP, while focusing on tournament games, also attracts a huge crowd and some serious money for the side games. That’s where some curious folks can assemble and mischief can take place. … I would be startled if the FBI were not embedded in that scene.”
In the current environment, should regulators and law enforcement follow up on Perry’s accusations?
How could they not?
Maybe they already are.
