Early Life
Mark Scheinberg was born in Israel in 1973. At the age of 13, he relocated to Toronto, Canada, with his family. He briefly attended Fanshawe College but dropped out after a year. He later worked in the hospitality industry and traveled throughout Asia and South America.
Rise to Success
In 2001, at age 28, Scheinberg co-founded PokerStars with his father, Isai Scheinberg. Isai, a skilled computer programmer, built the software for PokerStars. The company quickly became the world's largest online poker platform. PokerStars benefited greatly from the poker boom of the early 2000s. Under Mark Scheinberg's leadership, PokerStars hosted the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and grew its annual revenue to over $1.4 billion by 2010. In 2014, Scheinberg sold PokerStars to Amaya Gaming for $4.9 billion.
Key Business Strategies
PokerStars's success was due to its reliable system, strategic marketing, and acquisition of Full Tilt Poker in 2012, which further solidified its dominance. Scheinberg's post-PokerStars strategy involved investments in luxury hospitality and real estate through Mohari Hospitality. Mohari has acquired stakes in assets such as the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and Tao Group Hospitality.
Philanthropy
Scheinberg and his family founded The Scheinberg Relief Fund in March 2020 to support COVID-19 relief efforts.