Poker Player from Vallejo, California Admits to Lying About Having Terminal Cancer to Raise Money for World Series of Poker Tournament in Las Vegas

A poker player from Vallejo, California has admitted to lying about having terminal cancer in order to raise money for a World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas.

Rob Mercer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he had created a GoFundMe page in June with a false diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer in order to raise the $10,000 buy-in for the No-limit Hold’em World Championship.

The page, which has since been removed, had raised over $7,000 in donations from friends, family, and strangers. Mercer had also posted a video on the page, claiming that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and was given a prognosis of 6-9 months to live.

However, Mercer has since admitted that he had lied about his diagnosis and that he does not have cancer. “I shouldn’t have told people I have colon cancer,” Mercer said. “I did lie about having colon cancer. I don’t have colon cancer.”

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Mercer has since returned the donations to those who had contributed to his GoFundMe page. He also expressed regret for his actions, saying “I feel bad about it. I’m sorry.”

The World Series of Poker has yet to comment on the situation. It is unclear if Mercer will still be allowed to participate in the tournament.