Blotter: German poker robbery suspect released

Law enforcement authorities in Berlin, Germany, arrested a man late Friday night whom they believed was a suspect in the daring daylight robbery of the European Poker Tour no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament. Police later released the man, but did not give any details on the arrest or the release. Report from German news sources stated that police thought the man they arrested was part of a plot to raid a German casino in 2004.

Police officers arrested the man based on security camera footage taken during the robbery. European television broadcasters, along with hundreds of players and spectators, attended the event and watched American Kevin MacPhee win the US$925,000 grand prize. A television production crew, in the process of streaming the tournament action for a live internet broadcast, also shot some footage of the chaos that occurred during the robbery.

The gang of four thieves reportedly made off with over US$325,000 in cash. They allegedly attacked casino personnel with guns and machetes. Security staff at the site was unarmed, but one of the guards was able to force a thief to drop a bag containing some of the cash. With the release of the previous suspect, law enforcement officials have not announced any new leads in the case.

The apparent lack of security at the event has caused organizers to point fingers and assign blame. The European Poker Tour, sponsored by online poker site PokerStars.Net, stated that security is the responsibility of the local organizers. Casino Berlin was the title sponsor of the tournament, which was held at the Grand Hyatt Berlin hotel. Neither casino officials nor hotel spokespeople have commented on the ongoing case.

The robbery has also sparked the interest of casino security staff in major gaming destinations. The World Poker Tour recently completed their event in San Jose, California, without incident, and the World Series of Poker is due to start this summer. WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky announced that Harrah's, the hosts of all the WSOP and WSOP Circuit events, would be taking additional security measures to protect players, staff and spectators during the two-month tournament series.

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