According to the Review Journal, Ted Forrest, a renowned gambler and six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, has an arrest warrant issued against him by the Las Vegas police. [toc]
Forrest secured his first WSOP bracelet in 1993 and his latest in 2014. His lifetime tournament earnings exceed $6.3 million.
About the alleged felonies
The complaint identifies Forrest as William Edward Forrest, alleging that he attempted to pass two checks to the Wynn casino in Las Vegas.
Forrest’s checks amounted to $215,000, but he lacked the funds to cover them. Consequently, he now faces two felony charges: issuing and passing a check with the intention to defraud due to insufficient funds, and theft.
The checks were exchanged from October 28, 2012, to May 17, 2013. The lawsuit was lodged in Las Vegas Justice Court on Friday, September 2.
Disputing the charges
Forrest’s attorney, Chris Rasmussen, asserts that the poker champion does not owe the casino any money and that he was given a line of credit to play on a casino marker.
“This is a long-standing civil dispute, we believe,” said Rasmussen. “Now that he is in conflict with them, they have proceeded to prosecution.”
Rasmussen stated that he plans to request a judge to revoke the arrest warrant at a court hearing this week.
About Ted Forrest
When Forrest had a breakthrough year at the 1993 WSOP, he had already accumulated around $100,000 in tournament cashes. It was during this year that he won three bracelets, a feat only achieved by four other players. Remarkably, Phil Hellmuth also accomplished the same achievement that very summer.
Forrest is renowned for participating in high-stakes mixed games in Las Vegas. He was among the players who played against billionaire Andy Beal in the largest recorded poker games, as a member of The Corporation.
Ted Forrest’s other debts
The Clark County District Court disclosed that Forrest confessed in 2013 to owing Wynn $270,000. He committed to pay this debt through 10 monthly installments of $10,000 and a final payment of $170,000. However, as of July 2015, he had not fulfilled these terms, although the case was concluded.
In addition, The Mirage sued Forrest in September 2015, alleging that he owed them 40.5% of a $100,000 loan. The judge sided with the casino.
Forrest still owed $1.73 million from fellow pro?
Forrest, a poker champion, is also recognized for making significant prop bets outside of the poker tables. He notably claimed victory in a $1.8 million weight loss prop bet against fellow professional, Mike Matusow, in 2010.
Forrest wagered Matusow $100,000 at odds of 18/1 that he could reduce his weight from 188 pounds to 140 pounds within three months. He achieved this, but not without spending 11 days at starvation levels and daily half-marathon runs.
In September 2014, however, Forrest disclosed that Matusow had only repaid $70,500 of the $1.8 million debt. It seemed they had both agreed that Matusow would pay $5,000 per month over the span of 18 years.
