Over the past several weeks, poker Twitter has erupted with new allegations surrounding America’s Cardroom (ACR), one of the most recognizable names in the U.S. online poker scene. At the heart of the storm are claims that ACR exploited creators, ghosted affiliates, and failed to deliver on multiple paid promises, leaving a trail of frustrated streamers, ambassadors, and former partners in its wake.
While many of these issues have simmered beneath the surface for years, a recent exposé video and a flurry of social media posts have brought long-buried frustrations into the spotlight. And this time, big names are getting involved, including Scott Ball, Phil Nagy, and even Phil Hellmuth.
The Breaking Point: Ghosting Creators, Broken Promises
Several content creators have now gone public with their experiences, claiming they were:
- Offered promotional deals, then ghosted by ACR after delivering content
- Given vague “handshake deals” with no payment follow-up
- Denied pay or ignored after helping generate traffic and exposure for ACR
- Presented with exploitative or unclear contracts
I remember watching Ludwig live when he was asked which sponsor he regretted working with the most. His answer was ACR, not for reasons of promoting gambling to his audience. Instead, he found it hard to withdraw funds and was never paid for his initial marketing. The full clip can be watched below.
A Pattern of Exploitation?
This isn’t the first time ACR has been accused of unethical behavior. A look back shows a troubling pattern:
ACR Red Flags Over the Years
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Allegations of bots and superusers on the platform surface |
| 2018 | DDoS attacks plague major tournaments, leaving players disconnected and angry |
| 2019–2020 | Questions rise about Phil Nagy’s erratic leadership and vague ambassador programs |
| 2021 | ACR leans into influencer marketing, but multiple content creators report unclear contracts |
| 2022–2023 | Several ambassadors vanish from the brand quietly, with no announcements |
| 2025 | Major exposé drops, showing receipts of unpaid creators and ghosted partnerships |
The Names at the Center: Scott Ball, Phil Hellmuth & Phil Nagy
While much of the outrage has centered on mid-tier creators, some of the poker world’s most recognizable names have been swept into the drama.
The Talent Pipeline: Enter Scott Ball
ACR didn’t directly manage most of these influencer deals. Instead, they relied on Scott Ball, founder of Endgame Talent, a marketing agency brokering these contracts.
Scott was already known in the poker world—he worked at Twitch helping build the poker category, but left under a cloud of drama. Soon after? He was suddenly playing ultra high-stakes poker and rubbing elbows with the industry’s elite.
Oh, and he was accused of cheating and embezzling $800,000 in poker games. Not by just anyone, either—Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, a veteran poker pro, publicly accused Scott of ghosting hands, gambling away investor money, and scamming players while drunk. And yeah, Scott admitted to some of it.
Despite that, Phil Nagy continued to work with him. The relationship between ACR and Endgame Talent stayed active until everything came crashing down.
Phil Nagy: The CEO With Nine Lives
Phil Nagy, ACR’s long-standing CEO, has a reputation as one of the most controversial figures in online poker. Known for streaming himself playing high-stakes poker, Nagy has often responded to controversy with memes, vague tweets, or total silence. Nagy joined the solved for why podcast months ago addressing the allegations. “I’ll tell you what, business is really easy and people are hard,” Nagy explained.
The ACR Poker CEO went on to clarify why his company relies on third-party agencies to contact influencers and content creators on their behalf, explaining, “Do you know how hard it is to get ahold of someone like Ludwig? When you live down here in Costa Rica and you’re in your own little bubble, it’s really hard to get this stuff done in first-world capacities. I can’t—I don’t go to the World Series and rub elbows with you guys, I don’t do all of that. So, I rely on third-party companies to do a lot of this stuff.”
Phil Hellmuth: Poker’s Greatest Showman, But for Who?
Then there’s Phil Hellmuth, whose name continues to appear in whispers surrounding future or past ACR partnerships.
Rumors circulated in 2024 that Hellmuth was close to signing a deal with ACR, but sources say he backed out after internal friction or bad press. Some now speculate he dodged a bullet.
Hellmuth has not commented publicly, but his ties to controversial platforms in the past have made him a lightning rod in these discussions.
The Rise and Fall of ACR’s Influencer Program
The influencer marketing boom during the pandemic led sites like ACR to push for fast, cheap exposure. For a while, it worked—creators got affiliate codes, small monthly payments, and some exposure.
But over time, creators began noticing:
- Delayed or missing payments
- Nonexistent support
- Toxic internal culture
- Sudden contract shutdowns or ghosting
Many now say ACR ran their influencer strategy like a churn-and-burn factory, using creators until they weren’t useful anymore.
Community Backlash & A Growing Boycott
More and more players, particularly in the U.S., are turning away from ACR in favor of GGPoker, WPT Global, or regulated club apps. There’s even talk of:
- A community blacklist of unethical operators
- A push to unionize streamers and creators working in poker
- Centralized databases for affiliate program reviews
Final Thoughts: What Now?
Whether or not ACR survives this latest scandal, one thing is clear: the poker world is waking up to the cost of unchecked affiliate marketing and exploitative deals.
Creators now have power—and receipts. And they’re demanding better.
Long before the age of online poker WSOP founder Benny Binion said “Trust everyone, but always cut the cards.” That sentiment only seems to gain value as the world of poker is ever-evolving.
TL;DR (Too Long; Definitely Ripping People Off)
- ACR allegedly ghosted and underpaid multiple poker content creators
- Big names like Scott Ball, Phil Hellmuth, and Phil Nagy are connected to the situation in various ways
- ACR’s influencer marketing model appears unsustainable and damaging
- Poker Twitter is fighting back—with receipts, threads, and video exposés
- The industry may finally be ready for a shake-up
Read More:
- A Further Investigation into the Existence of the BotFarm Corporation
- Streamer Ludwig Says He Got Scammed by ACR
- ACR gives $100k to anyone who proves bots are playing on the site!
- Nacho Barbero and ACR Are in the Middle of Another RTA Scandal
- Trouble in “Paradise”: ACR Comes With a Statement After Nacho Barbero’s Controversial Comments
