LAS VEGAS Three of the world’s most famous poker players are publicly criticizing The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas resort and its owner, Deutsche Bank, accusing developers behind the project of misleading them and others into buying condominiums under false pretenses.
Poker stars Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan and Daniel Negreanu each purchased condominium homes at the Cosmopolitan, which is scheduled to open in December. In a press release distributed by a law firm representing more than 220 condo buyers who are suing Deutsche Bank for snafus related to the project, the trio criticizes the way Deutsche Bank has handled the situation.
“This isn’t about the money anymore,” says Brunson, a two-time World Series of Poker Main Event champion. “It is about the principles. Cosmo and the Deutsche Bank have misrepresented many things, and to think that they won’t give us our money back, plus interest, is disgraceful.”
Negreanu, one of the most popular players on the poker circuit, says he purchased a condo five years ago and still has not seen it. “The condo I was supposed to get is now a hotel room, and it won’t even be delivered for another year,” Negreanu says. “I didn’t buy a hotel room—I paid for a condo. It’s akin to paying for a Lexus and then being handed the keys to a Hyundai.”
Says Chan: “If the guys calling the shots at the Cosmopolitan don’t want to follow the law and return my deposit, I’d be happy to call their bluff and win it back—and then some.”
A spokeswoman for Cosmopolitan tells HOTELS: “We believe this latest complaint to be entirely without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously against these allegations.”