Anurag Dikshit
Anurag Dikshit (/ˈdɪksɪt/; born 1973, in Dhanbad Jharkhand), is an Indian businessman who, in connection with the online poker company PartyGaming, entered a guilty plea to one count of online gambling in violation of the Federal Wire Act and received a $300 million fine.[1] He sold off the remainder of his stake in PartyGaming in January 2010,[2] after selling 23% of his stake in the company's Initial Public Offering, and a further two thirds of the remainder, in October 2009.[3]
Born in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, Dikshit graduated with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in 1994. He completed schooling at De Nobili School, FRI. Following graduation, Dikshit worked as a software developer in the United States at CMC, as a systems analyst for Websci and later as a consultant for AT&T.[4]
PartyGaming
At age 26, Dikshit was asked by PartyGaming founder[5] American Ruth Parasol to write the company’s betting software.
In 2000, Dikshit hired a friend from his alma mater, Vikrant Bhargava, to begin working at PartyGaming with him and others. Party Poker was launched in August 2001.[citation needed]
In May 2006 Dikshit stepped down from PartyGaming's board of directors and took a position as head of the company's research and special projects, and left PartyGaming completely in November 2006.[6] As of December 2008 he still owned approximately 28% of the company's shares.[7]
In December 2008, Dikshit entered a guilty plea to one count of online gambling in violation of the Federal Wire Act and agreed to forfeit $300 million. "I came to believe there was a high probability it was in violation of U.S. laws", Dikshit told U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff in New York, referring to PartyGaming’s activity.[8] Dikshit no longer personally owns any shares in PartyGaming, having sold his shares in January 2010.[9]
References
- ↑ Online Gambling Billionaire Cashes In. Forbes.com (2009-10-20). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ↑ Daily Telegraph, 25 January 2010 PartyGaming founder Anurag Dikshit severs ties with company after £114m share sale
- ↑ Nils Pratley, The Guardian, 20 October 2009, Guardian.co.uk: Dealing in poker profit
- ↑ Anurag Dikshit – High roller who came late to the poker party. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ↑ Ruth Parasol. Bonitatrust.org. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ↑ PartyGaming's Dikshit quits board. Forbes (2006-05-24). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ↑ The Guardian, 17 December 2008, PartyGaming up 27% as founder pleads guilty in US court
- ↑ Larson, Erik. (2008-12-16) PartyGaming’s Dikshit Pleads Guilty to Web Gambling. Bloomberg. Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
- ↑ Anurag Dikshit Sells Remaining Stake in Party Gaming. Pokernewsdaily.com (2009-10-20). Retrieved on 2011-06-15.
