Millionaire Maker Champ Will Receive $1 Million Contest Bonus Despite Controversy

The World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) Millionaire Maker champion will gather the $1 million bonus verify from ClubWPT Gold whatever the WSOP’s ruling on the alleged chip-dumping scandal, PokerNews confirmed.

Jesse Yaginuma overcame a 9-1 chip deficit to James Carroll throughout heads-up play within the $1,500 buy-in event to win the $1,255,180 first-place prize, a payout that’s presently in limbo as a consequence of an open investigation into the matter. Carroll’s $1,012,320 second-place money additionally stays unsure.

Controversial Poker Champ Assured $1 Million

The WSOP started investigating potential chip dumping between Carroll and Yaginuma shortly after the event concluded. Many poker followers on social media accused the heads-up foes of colluding to make sure the eventual champ received, as that participant stood to win an additional $1 million from a ClubWPT Gold contest if he have been to safe the bracelet.

ClubWPT Gold, a sweeps coin poker web site, and the WSOP are separate entities. However the former has brought on a stir on the 2025 World Sequence of Poker as a consequence of its $1 million promotion that had already been received by Michael Lavin, who took down WSOP Occasion #20 earlier this month.

Yaginuma is the second winner of the seven-figure jackpot, an award that can be paid out, PokerNews confirmed with Doug Polk, an envoy for ClubWPT Gold. The poker web site will honor Yaginuma at a ceremony Friday night at Ole Crimson, a bar on the Las Vegas Strip, steps away from the WSOP.

As for the opposite $1.2 million he anticipated to earn from his event money, together with the gold bracelet, that’s nonetheless up within the air. The WSOP remains to be investigating the alleged chip-dumping scandal.

Did Chip Dumping Happen with $1 Million Bonus at Stake Throughout WSOP Closing Desk?