Patrik Antonius scammed out of $700K by GTA tech entrepreneur

The Finnish high-stakes legend claims he's owed eight figures in total loans.

Patrik Antonius has been one of the steadiest winners of the high-stakes cash games in the last 15 years, both live and online. He made more than $20 million online across several sites and is one of the biggest winners in the highest-stakes live cash games around the world.

It's no surprise to see, he's been handing out large sums to people along the way, as it's pretty common amongst high-rollers in the poker scene. However, his claim in an interview earlier this year, with Finnish site, pokerisivut, shocked everyone.

According to Patrik, he is owed eight figures in total from loans he handed out which in itself would be a pretty massive bankroll. One of his debtors is Grand Theft Auto tech entrepreneur, Robert Alexander. According to a story by the New York Post this week, Alexander gambled away a huge amount of money, including a $7.8 million loss at the Golden Nugget playing craps.

He's alleged to have used his online-game company, Kizzang, like a piggy bank. According to court documents, the tech kingpin spent $404,000 on gambling in casinos, $579,000 on credit-card bills, $25,000 on her daughter's BMW and another $28,000 on her education at the Culinary Institute of America.

Even though Robert sold his firm Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Grand Theft Auto for $30 million, but even this amount of money is considered a low budget, when you roll with models and celebrities on your side, especially in Las Vegas.

Alexander living the life

“We never chose the food when Robert took us for dinner,” one of his friends said. “He ordered for the table, sometimes getting half the menu and most of the desserts.”

His debts include several loans from fellow gamblers. “I loaned him $700,000 ... He never paid me back,” Antonius was cited.

“He borrowed $200,000 from me, right at the Wynn craps table,” said Eric Fessler, a real estate investor from Miami. “That was in 2007. I have yet to see a dollar.”

Alexander was arrested at a hotel on Long Island February 7, he is accused of securities fraud and wire fraud.

Similarly to Antonius, Daniel Negreanu recently tweeted about massive loans over the years. According to Daniel, some people were honest about their situation, while others simply lied to him, when asking for money.

What do you think? Should loaners out dishonest people, or should they give them a chance to pay up?