Former casino owner and longtime poker player Leon Tsoukernik has emerged from a coma and feels “absolutely fine” after undergoing a serious medical emergency earlier in January.
The former King’s Casino operator collapsed in his home Czechia, Czech Republic, after an overdose on Propofol, a quick-acting anesthetic and sedative that’s administered intravenously. The Czech news site Novinky.cz reported that the billionaire businessman was transported by air ambulance to Pilsen University Hospital and was in a coma for 40 hours.
“These wonderful people gave me a second life,” he recently told Forbes Czech Republic. “At the same time, I am grateful from the bottom of my heart to my wife Sandra, who spent days and nights at my bedside. I believe that played a role.”
The businessman and poker player said that he now feels “fantastic” and was in good spirits for the interview after being given little chance of survival, initially suffering from bilateral pneumonia. He described some of what he experienced in the coma.
“I even had memories of things that I had long forgotten,” Tsoukernik said.
Propofol can be deadly if misused. It is the same drug that singer Michael Jackson died from in 2009.
“We are investigating a possible illegal act that may have occurred at an unspecified time in Chodová Planá,” police spokeswoman Iva Vršecká said after the medical emergency. “A 51-year-old man was found unconscious there and was airlifted for medical treatment. The police commissioner has initiated criminal proceedings on suspicion of committing a particularly serious crime of grievous bodily harm.”
Born in Russia, Tsoukernik moved to the Czech Republic in 1993, becoming successful in the casino industry along with trading in antiques and art. King’s is the largest casino in Europe and Tsoukernik built the property into a major player in the European poker market, including hosting the WSOP Europe since 2017.
Tsoukernik sold Kings Casino last June to Scott Hanna, who had been involved with the company since 2003, along with existing partners and a new silent partner. The deal was estimated to be valued somewhere between €300 and €400 million.