"Last Friday, Isai Scheinberg, the 73-year-old co-founder of PokerStars, the world’s biggest online poker company, boarded a plane in Switzerland for the nine-hour flight to New York City. On the other end, he would not be greeted at the airport by family members or businesses associates, but by federal agents who would take him into custody."

"A few months ago, federal prosecutors launched extradition proceedings during a visit Scheinberg made to Switzerland. Scheinberg initially contested the extradition effort, but later decided to voluntarily travel to the U.S. to face the charges. In a hearing conducted in Manhattan’s federal court last Friday, Scheinberg pleaded not guilty and was released on $1 million bail. A representative for Scheinberg declined to comment."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanv.../#314ec57b4fb0

This news is probably good right? Nearly 10 years after Black Friday/UIGEA this is maybe a sign things will change in the US?

How could this change anything? - besides the US getting a few million fine..

Why would this be good or bad news for online poker? The bad news according to the article is that the Justice Department is currently appealing a 2019 ruling that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting and not poker, so it seems like the government is still fighting attempts to make online poker legal

Can't imagine how this could possibly be good news

Also not seeing how this would help at a federal level, they just want a cut of his fortune.

Him and his son are the true GOAT of online poker, we all see the shitshow stars became since amaya took over.

Interesting how cheaters from ub and some eurosites that defrauded the citizens/consumers are free to to what they want, while others that always treated consumers fairly have problems with the law. It's all about the dolla-dolla...How much have you payed to me? We want some of the juice.

They probably got him in custody to talk to him alone... And beg him to rebuy Pokerstars from those Amaya fools

Don't be so sure...

I've been threatening to open a new Online Poker Site for America...

The US Government HATES me. So, this could be a response to my promise to open a BIG SITE to challenge Stars and bring a big site back to America...I'd almost guarantee you this is a move to get Pokerstars back into America BEFORE I open up a site...They don't want me taking over Online Poker...As I said, the Government HATES me...

I'd have to agree with you about not seeing how this will bring Stars back to America, BUT given what I've been saying about opening a new site I'd almost guarantee that some legal action involving Pokerstars is a RESPONSE to me expressing future plans to open a new site. To me it almost seems as if they're taking my statements seriously and trying to get Stars back in America before I can open a new site. That WOULD make opening a new site and challenging Stars A LOT more difficult. Ultimately, my goal was to get Stars BACK in the USA by announcing my intentions openly. So, all the better if Stars does return.

I'd buy it if they'd sell it to me, but I doubt they'd sell it to me.


...

It's a publically traded company. You can just buy all the stocks, at the right price they will ofc sell it to you

I wonder why he is doing this. He isn't even a US citizen.

He made PokerStars successful and did it in a way that was friendly to professional players.

Because if the US government wants you, they're gonna get you. The only ways to not get 'got at that point is to hide in shithole countries for the rest of your life, or have the Russian or Chinese state back you up on their soil (see Snowden for example). That's about it. And they're only going to back you up if you're a political bargaining chip anyways. Not fun.

So getting on a plane yourself shows good faith and means that you at least have some control over when you get grabbed instead of having a foreign SWAT team blast their way into your hotel room and put you in a bundle and send you off on a private plane (the bad sort of private plane)



tl;dr if the US is after you just go to the US and deal with it

At this point, he pretty much knows what the consequences will be (see quote below from the posted article) and can just put it behind him so he can travel freely and not have this hanging over his head.

Not that it's necessarily that important to him, but this would also allow him to be eventually be fully recognized for his contributions to poker. Casears/WSOP isn't going to put someone in the hall of fame who could possibly end up in prison, so reaching a financial settlement puts that issue to rest.

This post is so funny considering the other post currently in NVG titled "Stars should just accept crypto deposits from US players. That's not even illegal, what's the USA gonna do, charge people with a crime? Haha hahah thats ridiculous" (paraphrasing a bit here)

https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/2...-only-1761214/

Obv both these posts can't simultaneously be true. Either you shouldn't **** with the US, or you should.

Hint: You shouldn't

LOL at not putting someone into HoF that might qualify for prison

You're naive if you think Caesars wouldn't want to do that.

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Good luck Isai!

best of luck to this absolute legend of the industry, if bitar/lederer/et al never had to do any prison time then isai most definitely shouldn't either, considering he never personally embezzled any of his players' funds

did he give millions to people in Congress?

Looks to me like a deal was likely reached before he got on the plane to the US....

This 100%, its clear this has been negotiated for some time.

Hi Everyone:

We at 2+2 wish the best for Isai. He was a big supporter of this site as well as our books, and was great for poker. Hopefully, this will be no more than a little bump in the road and everything is worked out, and Isai's future will be terrific.

Best wishes,
Mason

Luckily he can afford a good lawyer. I don't see him getting a worse deal than Ray Bitar.

As long as Adelson is the biggest financial backer of the current US Govt, there is a literal 0% chance of online poker becoming legal in the USA. If you get a change in government or he croaks, you have a shot.

It will probably not happen at the federal level, but a continued state-by-state legalization and interstate compacts will eventually provide an environment similar to a nationwide pool for the states that participate (as long as the next administration restores the prior interpretation of the Wire Act). Yes it has been slow going, but there has been momentum recently, and these things tend to snowball like brick-and-mortar casinos, gay marriage, and legalized marijuana have.

someone tell Trump that if he OK's online poker he will get re-elected, lead pipe cinch then.