Forbes – The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has suspended the review of PokerStars’ application for an online gambling license for two years, locking the world’s biggest online poker company out of the largest state to regulate online gambling. The decision is a big setback for PokerStars’ effort to return to the U.S. market, but New Jersey regulators are leaving the door open to reconsidering PokerStars’ application under certain circumstances.
“The Division of Gaming Enforcement has determined that the application of Rational Services Limited (PokerStars) casino service industry licensure (CSIE) will be held in a suspended status for a period of two years,” the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement said in a statement. “The Division, within that period, may consider a request for relief to reactivate the application if significantly changed circumstances are demonstrated at which time the Division’s investigation of PokerStars and its affiliated entities and associated individuals will be resumed to assess suitability.”
The stated reason for the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement’s decision is PokerStars’ continued association with its founder, Isai Scheinberg, who remains under federal indictment. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan indicted Scheinberg in 2011 for violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and the Illegal Gambling Business Act, but Scheinberg, who is not a U.S. citizen, has not come to the U.S. to face the charges. He recently hired former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey as his lawyer.
