Scott Ball, a poker player and talent agent, is taking legal action against offshore poker platform ACR Poker for breach of contract, alleging that the social media influencers he represents were not compensated for promoting the site previously called America’s Card Room.
Two-time WSOP bracelet holder Ball, who manages the agency End Game Talent, is pursuing “a minimum of $30 million, compensation for unjust enrichment, legal expenses, and damages for defamation and trade libel.”
The lawsuit, submitted shortly before Christmas in the San Diego Superior Court and reviewed by PokerNews, specifically names Phil Nagy, the owner of ACR Poker. The defamation allegation pertains to remarks made by Nagy following the public revelation of the conflict between the two sides.
‘Ill will and Purpose’
Nagy joined the Only Friends Podcast last August to assert that he had met his financial responsibilities to End Game. He seemed to suggest that it was Ball who hadn’t compensated the influencers. The lawsuit argues that these statements were untrue and made with “actual malice and intent” to harm Ball’s reputation and “shift blame for [the defendant’s] own actions.”
"Defendant published false and defamatory statements about Plaintiffs, including but not limited to public statements attributing payment failures to Plaintiffs’ alleged failure to ‘follow through on their commitments’ and claiming Plaintiffs ‘dropped the ball,’” per the lawsuit.
Ball asserts that right after Nagy’s appearance on the podcast, they exchanged text messages in which Nagy challenged Ball to “sue me.”
Ignored on Payments
Nagy's remarks came after public declarations from personalities like esports YouTuber Ludwig Ahgren and poker and chess streamer Alexandra Botez, who asserted they had been ignored by ACR regarding payments.
According to the lawsuit, the agreement between ACR and End Game totaled $29.7 million, featuring nine monthly payments of $3.3 million from June 1, 2023, to April 1, 2024. Nonetheless, according to the complaint, only three installments of $1.1 million, paid in bitcoin, were ever obtained.
Earlier this year, Ball faced a lawsuit from Loaded, a management firm in Los Angeles that represents several of the influencers. In June, Loaded received a default judgment totaling $718,331, as per Los Angeles County Court documents reviewed by Poker.org.
In November, Ball attempted to have the ruling annulled or nullified. In the most recent lawsuit, Ball asserts he cannot fulfill the judgment due to ACR’s purported failure to pay.
