Isai Scheinberg
{{Short description|Canadian businessman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| image =
| name = Isai Scheinberg
| caption =
| native_name = ישי שיינברג
| native_name_lang = he
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1946/47
| birth_place = Vilnius, Lithuania
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| nationality = Israeli-Canadian
| education =
| occupation = Co-founder and former co-owner, PokerStars
| spouse =
| parents =
| children = Mark Scheinberg
| relatives =
| website =
}}
Isai Scheinberg ({{langx|he|ישי שיינברג}}; born 1946 or 1947) is the Lithuanian Jewish{{Cite news |last=Vardi |first=Nathan |date=January 24, 2020 |title=The Incredible Rise of PokerStars Cofounder Isai Scheinberg |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2020/01/24/the-incredible-rise-of-pokerstars-cofounder-isai-scheinbergand-his-surrender-to-federal-agents/ |access-date=22 January 2021 |work=Forbes}}{{Cite news |last=Freeze |first=Colin |date=22 April 2011 |title=A look at the mysterious Canadian founder of PokerStars |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/a-look-at-the-mysterious-canadian-founder-of-pokerstars/article4171690/ |access-date=23 September 2019 |work=The Globe and Mail |location=Toronto}} founder of the PokerStars online poker site. Scheinberg previously had been a senior programmer for IBM Canada.{{Cite news |last=Walsh |first=Dominic |date=4 January 2006 |title=Family stand to net $2bn from their online gamble |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article784745.ece |access-date=7 July 2010 |work=The Times |location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
Biography
In about 1986, Scheinberg left Israel, and moved to Toronto. He settled there in Richmond Hill, where in 2011 he still owned the house he had bought in 1988.
In 2011, Scheinberg was indicted on five criminal charges related to Pokerstars under United States federal laws.{{Cite web |last=Bharara |first=Preet |date=22 April 2011 |title=Press release: Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges Principals of Three Largest Internet Poker Companies With Bank Fraud, Illegal Gambling Offenses and Laundering Billions in Illegal Gambling Proceeds |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/April11/scheinbergetalindictmentpr.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110419230512/http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pressreleases/April11/scheinbergetalindictmentpr.pdf |archive-date=19 April 2011 |publisher=United States Attorney Southern District of New York}} In September 2020, he was sentenced to pay a fine of $30,000 with no jail time.[https://www.cardplayer.com/poker-news/25356-poker-site-operator-isai-scheinberg-gets-slap-on-the-wrist-for-charges-stemming-from-black-friday CardPlayer.com: Poker Site Operator Gets Slap On The Wrist For Charges Stemming From Black Friday]
Scheinberg sold his stake in Pokerstars to Amaya Gaming in 2014 for $4.9 billion.{{Cite news |last=Vardi |first=Nathan |date=12 June 2014 |title=Amaya Gaming In Deal To Buy PokerStars For $4.9 Billion |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2014/06/12/amaya-gaming-in-deal-to-buy-pokerstars-for-4-9-billion/ |access-date=1 May 2015 |work=Forbes}}
Well known for his sense of personal privacy, he gave his first ever media interview to Lance Bradley in 2021.{{Cite web |last=Bradley |first=Lance |date=15 April 2021 |title=Isai Scheinberg: His Company, His Legacy, and How Black Friday Impacted Both |url=https://www.pocketfives.com/articles/isai-scheinberg-his-company-his-legacy-and-how-black-friday-impacted-both-634519/ |publisher=Pocket Fives}}
See also
References
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Category:Businesspeople from Ontario
Category:Businesspeople in software
Category:People from Richmond Hill, Ontario
Category:Israeli businesspeople