An amateur poker player in Vallejo, California, who previously claimed he had terminal colon cancer to raise money to participate in a major poker event admitted he lied about the illness.
During an interview Tuesday, Rob Mercer revealed what happened to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
He said he did not have colon cancer when he created the GoFundMe page in June to help him on his way to participating in the World Series of Poker’s (WSOP) No-limit Hold’em World Championship.
An image shows Mercer and a screenshot of the fundraiser:
Fraudster lied about having terminal cancer to raise $30K for World Series of Poker https://t.co/0GLJLIkVR6 pic.twitter.com/W678bdAk3X
— New York Post (@nypost) September 21, 2023
He also claimed he said it on the “spur-of-the-moment” when asked what cancer his diagnosis presented. Mercer also said the was sorry for not being honest.
The caption of a video PokerFlops shared on June 23 said, “Dive into an inspiring story about the poker community rallying around Rob Mercer, a 37-year-old semi-professional poker player battling terminal cancer.”
“Rob’s lifelong dream is to play in the World Series of Poker Main Event. This video covers his journey, his courage, and the uplifting response of the poker community,” the post read:
According to the Review-Journal, donors gave Mercer approximately $30,000 to $50,000 and a suite at Bellagio, which is a resort facility, to enjoy during the event.
“Mercer confirmed he was contacted by a representative from GoFundMe for violating its terms of service. He said he has no plans to repay the money since he believes he has undiagnosed breast cancer and the donations were made because he was sick,” the article said, adding Mercer is no longer welcome in the poker community.
However, the man has reportedly stopped playing due to poor health and spends nearly 20 hours a day resting in bed.
The Review-Journal stated that GoFundMe has since notified donors that it will refund their money.
According to its website, the WSOP is the “longest-running, largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, dating back 50 years to 1970, and having paid more than $3.3 billion in total prize money to date.”
