Without further ado, behold the stories that had everyone’s chins a wagging in 2016:

OH MY, UH…

If Canada’s Amaya Gaming was a hockey team, commentators would say their season was ruined by ‘off-ice distractions.’ Despite Amaya’s flagship PokerStars brand making its triumphant return to US shores and continued progress in diversifying beyond its pure poker roots, Amaya headlines were dominated by allegations of illegal insider trading and fumbling attempts at acquisition and privatization.

Amaya CEO David Baazov stunned the markets in February by announcing plans to acquire the company and take it private. The following month, Quebec securities regulators filed criminal charges against Baazov, accusing him of running an illegal kickback scheme by providing advance info on Amaya deals to a group of individuals that included his brother Josh/Ofer and Craig Levett, the pair behind former scam betting site BetonUSA.