The two players involved in the WSOP Millionaire Maker chip-dumping controversy have been banned from Caesars properties and, by extension, the WSOP in Las Vegas, PokerOrg understands.
News of the bans for Jesse Yaginuma and James Carroll was not included in the WSOP statement released on Monday night. That statement confirmed that there would be no winner and no bracelet awarded in the Millionaire Maker tournament and that first and second place prize money would be split. This means both players received $1,133,750, with Yaginuma getting the $1 million bonus on top.
Rumors of the bans began circulating on social media shortly after, and a source has now confirmed them to PokerOrg.
Talking on his daily vlog, GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu also talked about the bans, saying the decision was made by Nevada Gaming and Caesars and had nothing to do with the WSOP.
The WSOP in Vegas is set to run at Caesars properties for another 19 years, though, and Negreanu said, "They’re not going to be able to play the World Series for I don’t know how long.”
The ban is said to be lifetime, but players can appeal, and this could change in the future.
PokerOrg has been unable to confirm whether or not the players are also banned from other WSOP events. WSOP Paradise, which plays out in December in The Bahamas, is not held at a Caesars property.
Players stay silent about controversy
Neither of the players involved has made a public statement about the controversy yet, although Yaginuma was interviewed by ClubWPT Gold about the bonus payout.
The ClubWPT Gold social account also confirmed it would be paying out the $1 million prize despite the lack of an official winner and doubled down on the promotion earlier in the week, increasing the number of Gold Rush tickets it gave out.
ClubWPT Gold has consistently leaned into the scandal rather than taking a step back. In reply to a ClubWPT post announcing the payout, its creative director joked about Yaginuma only getting to spend half of it. This is presumably a joke in reference to the assumption that the $1 million was split by the two players in a deal.
In the interview with ClubWPT Gold, Yaginuma said, “It’s been amazing; it’s been a wild ride. When I actually realized I had a chance, it was surreal. It was exciting, of course, and it felt like an out-of-body experience.”
