Preet Bharara, the former U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, led the online poker crackdown in 2011 and indicted Isai Scheinberg. But the U.S. Justice Department did not approve of foreign online poker companies operating in the U.S. Officially, it took the position that online poker violated the Wire Act of 1961. The big online poker companies advertised on television, promoted televised events, and sponsored the most famous poker players. PokerStars immediately took over the U.S. market and became the biggest online poker company in the world. Still, with the law seemingly gray and big-shot politicians like Barney Frank working to legalize online poker, the online poker industry largely viewed federal prosecutors as an expensive nuisance.

Source: Forbes January 24, 2020 19:08 UTC