In a legal dispute, poker player Scott Ball files a lawsuit against ACR Poker for a $30 million breach of contract and defamation.
Scott Ball, a two-time WSOP bracelet winner and talent agent, has filed a lawsuit against ACR Poker for breach of contract and defamation in the San Diego Superior Court. The suit, filed on December 23, 2022, names Phil Nagy, the owner of ACR Poker, as a defendant.
The contract between ACR and End Game Talent, Ball's agency, was worth $29.7 million and consisted of nine monthly installments, running from June 1, 2023, to April 1, 2024. However, according to the lawsuit, only three installments, worth $3.3 million each, were received by End Game Talent.
The first installment, due on June 1, 2023, was not received, the lawsuit claims. Ball attempted to have the judgment set aside or vacated in November, but to no avail. The payments were made in bitcoin.
The defamation claim in the lawsuit relates to comments made by Phil Nagy on the Only Friends Podcast in August 2022. Nagy claimed on the podcast that he had fulfilled his financial obligations to End Game Talent. However, the lawsuit claims that Nagy's comments were false and made with "actual malice and intent" to damage Ball's reputation and "deflect blame for [the defendant's] own conduct."
Nagy dared Ball to "sue me" in a text message exchange immediately after his podcast appearance. The lawsuit seeks at least $30 million, restitution for unjust enrichment, legal fees, and damages for defamation and trade libel.
The lawsuit also alleges that social media influencers on Ball's books were never paid for promoting ACR Poker. Defendant, ACR Poker, allegedly ghosted payments to influencers such as esports YouTuber Ludwig Ahgren and poker and chess streamer Alexandra Botez.
In actions regarding the payment sequence related to obligations toward Scott Ball and End Game Talent, Phil Nagy took actions between June 2024 and January 2025. The latest lawsuit claims that Ball is unable to settle the judgment due to ACR's alleged nonpayment.
