Home / Poker News July 2012 / The Poker Grapevine – Phil Ivey’s Messy Divorce
The Poker Grapevine – Phil Ivey’s Messy Divorce
Posted by: Randy Williams - Fri, 2012-07-13 02:04
Phil Ivey and his now ex-wife Luciaetta divorced relatively quietly in 2009, but the case soon boomed into quite a no-holds-barred battle over money, at one point threatening to completely derail the focus of the man many have long considered the best poker player in the world. Ivey has indeed spent quite a bit of time away from the green felt after the Black Friday indictments which may have affected him much more than the other concerned parties.
The divorce-battle got out of hand last September, when Luciaetta filed a petition with the Nevada Supreme Court, questioning the purpose of a $5k donation Ivey had apparently made to Family Court Judge Bill Gonzalez, who granted the couple’s divorce. In the petition, Luciaetta alleged that she had been treated unfairly by the above said judge in exchange for compensation from Ivey. She also stated that Ivey had stopped paying spousal alimony in April, 2011, when Full Tilt Poker collapsed and when his Tiltware earnings disappeared.
David Chesnoff represented Ivey at the NSC hearing on Tuesday. According to documents presented to the court, Luciaetta had made millions off the divorce, including $180k each month as taxable alimony, from Ivey’s Tiltware source.
Ivey had apparently made several $5k donations in 2010, donations which – according to Chief Justice Michael Cherry – cannot be legally attacked.
In other news: the Nevada Gaming Control Board has recommended Shuffle Master to receive a license to make interactive gambling systems in Nevada. There are already two licensed companies on the Nevada interactive gambling scene: Bally Technologies and IGT are already license possessors.
In June, Shuffle Master drew up plans to purchase the Ongame network, in an apparent move to position itself for the eventual legalization of
online poker in the state. Since then, those plans have been scrapped, however that doesn’t mean Shuffle Master have given up on their online poker plans.
