Founder of PokerStars Isai Scheinberg admits illegal gambling

The founder of the world-famous online poker platform PokerStars Isai Scheinberg has confessed to offering illegal gambling to Americans. The 73-year-old recently published this in front of a federal court in New York. The guilty confession of the long-standing boss of PokerStar refers to the accusation of offering Poker offers of Americans online. According to the Ministry of Justice, he violated US and State Law.

Judgment is still pending

Isai Scheinberg, Canadian citizen, has not broken a cavalier offense with the breaking of the US federal government and state law. If Scheinberg received the maximum penalty, he threatens up to five years of imprisonment. However, his comprehensive confession should have significantly improved his chances of a milder punishment, which the public prosecutor also takes into account when it comes to a criminal claim.

How does the US authorities’ criminal proceedings against Isai Scheinberg come about? “The background and origin of the criminal proceedings are the law adopted by the United States in 2006 by the United States of America. Content was the ban on the operation or offer of non -licensed games of chance on the Internet in the USA. Like many other online gambling providers, PokerStars is based with the Isle of Man in one of the European tax paradises, as is often the case on Gibraltar or Malta. However, PokerStars does not operate from American soil and therefore has no possibility of the rightful offer for US citizens. In the further course, due to this offense against the former PokerStars boss Scheinberg, and indictment was raised in 2011. For this reason and through the media pressure, the provider for online poker withdrew from the American market. There was also a penalty payment to the US authorities of a whopping $ 731 million. However, the personal criminal trial against Isai Scheinberg was not ended, but was continued, even if the investigation is dragging on for many years. In 2019, Scheinberg’s arrest finally followed in Switzerland. The authorities there then delivered Scheinberg to the United States. ”

Criminal trial concerns many known names

The confession of Isai Scheinberg ends many years of criminal proceedings. In addition to Scheinberg, eleven other people were convicted during the court trial. Among other things, the long-time CEO of the online poker platform Full Tilt Poker Ray Bitar includes. Bitar had to In 2012 answered in court.

The procedure had caused great media attention. The fact that the procedure can now be laid with the procedure after the still due judgment for Scheinberg Ad Acta the Ministry of Justice for a relieved statement. After all, with the late outcome of the procedure, a fair end was found. This was also emphasized by US public prosecutor Geoffrey S. Berman with visible satisfaction when asked by a journalist:

“Ten years ago, this authority accused eleven accused who, fraudulent payment processing for three of the largest online poker companies in the USA-poker stars, Full Tilt Poker and absolute poker-were charged for illegal gambling transactions and other crimes. Isai Scheinberg’s today’s confession shows that the course of time does not prevent this authority from being determined to hold those people responsible that break US law. ”

How the final judgment will be can be seen so far. However, according to the news portal Bloomberg, the signs that Isai Scheinberg Through his confession around the maximum sentence. Apparently there is a procedural agreement that causes the public prosecutor to request only a prison sentence between 12 and 18 months instead of the maximum sentence. It is still unclear whether this is set by the judge Lewis A. Kaplan. However, the likelihood of a not low prison sentence for the former PokerStars founder is very likely. However, it is not yet clear when the judgment will be announced.