Poker Player Admits Fabricating Terminal Cancer Diagnosis for Tournament Fundraiser

In a shocking turn of events, amateur poker player Rob Mercer has confessed to falsely claiming he had terminal colon cancer to raise thousands of dollars in donations for his entry into the World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas. Mercer, hailing from Vallejo, California, recently revealed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he concocted a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis on his GoFundMe page in June, admitting, “I did lie about having colon cancer. I don’t have colon cancer. I used that to cover my situation.”

The 37-year-old had aimed to collect enough funds to cover the $10,000 buy-in for the prestigious No-limit Hold’em World Championship. Astonishingly, he received contributions ranging between $30,000 and $50,000, along with luxurious accommodations at the Bellagio. Even a fellow poker player with a chronic illness from Arizona donated $2,500 to his cause. Mercer expressed remorse for his actions, stating, “What I did was wrong. I shouldn’t have told people I have colon cancer. I did that just as a spur-of-the-moment thing when someone asked me what kind of cancer I had.”

However, Mercer’s admission comes with a refusal to refund the generous donors, as he now believes he might have undiagnosed breast cancer. Consequently, he finds himself shunned by the poker community, facing repercussions not only within the game but also from the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe, which reached out to him regarding violations of its terms of service. GoFundMe, in a move to rectify the situation, has notified the individuals who contributed to Mercer’s campaign that they will be receiving refunds for their donations.

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