We are a quarter of the way into the 21st century. We have been able to get sports betting legalized in almost 80% of the country. But one thing that has not kept up is legalizing the live action of a poker game. Recent developments in the state of Texas, the namesake of the best form of the game, continue to demonstrate the fact that it is still against the law there due to the fecklessness of the state government while Texas poker clubs continue to thrive.
Dallas Poker Room Still Shuttered After Raid
In the Dallas suburb of Westlake, the local sheriff’s office for Tarrant County conducted a raid on a club that was allegedly dealing Texas Hold’em to its members. In what the Fort Worth Star-Telegram cited as a “monthlong” investigation, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office found what they called an “illegal poker room” operating on the grounds of the Copa Club. The TCSO subsequently arrested two people operating the club and confiscated poker tables, chips, and $4000 in cash.
Over the nearly two weeks since this raid, there has been no movement on either side of the equation. When Star-Telegram reporter Harriet Ramos sought to find out what the club personnel were charged with, TSCO officials stated that was one of the matters under investigation. After a delay, two men charged in the raid, Mark Hulme of Coppell, TX, and Scott Whittington of Ponder, TX, were charged with an assortment of gaming charges, including engaging in organized crime, and are out on bail.
A visit to the Copa Club website indicates that the club is, as of this week, still closed. “While temporarily closed, the Copa Club remains steadfast in our commitment to providing a first-class private club, built on transparency, integrity, and unparalleled experiences for all of our members,” a pop-up on the club’s home page states. It does not say whether the continuation of the 13-table poker room will be a part of that experience once they reopen.
Despite Appearances, There is No Poker Allowed in Texas
Texas poker clubs are thriving – it just depends on where you are. If you are in the Austin area, The Lodge Poker Room is one of the bustling stops for the game (and the ownership by noted poker professionals Doug Polk, Brad Owen, and Andrew Neeme), as is Texas Card House. Other cities, such as Houston (Champions Club), McAllen (Elite Poker Lounge), and Amarillo (Amarillo Social Club), all have a sizeable amount of action. Dallas, however, is one of the cities where law enforcement is putting the kibosh on such activities.
Why? Quite honestly, the law does not allow for gambling in the state of Texas.
The card rooms mentioned above all are operating in what is called a “gray area” of Texas law that allows private clubs to have their activities on the grounds, even if they violate Texas regulations. By charging a membership fee or a seat rental, these clubs circumvent the laws regarding gambling in the Lone Star State. That, at least, is what their attorneys have advised them regarding the activity. Only the Dallas area is holding to the statutes as they are currently written, however.
Sheriff’s offices, the Texas Rangers, and other local law enforcement could conceivably start raiding Texas poker clubs tomorrow because the laws regarding gambling that are currently on the books do not permit them. What is the reason that they are not all shut down right now? The local District Attorneys and the Texas Legislature (more so) lacked the testicular fortitude to bring charges against these businesses.
Houston tried to do this six years ago when they raided two separate clubs. The cases were dropped when it was found that the city’s DA, Kim Ogg, had personnel in her office that were working with the card rooms to craft regulations for their existence (Ogg was unseated from the DA’s office in 2024). Dallas has also gone to the courts to try to stop the poker rooms from being established, but a comedy of errors ensued in 2022 that forced them to stop.
The Texas Legislature could end this situation at any point, but they are more concerned with renaming the New York Strip steak rather than forming legislation that would be beneficial to businesses and the people. The Texas Legislature only meets every two years and is currently in session, but there is no legislation on the agenda that would address this gaming issue. If there are no changes made to the gaming regulations – either positively or negatively – the patchwork enforcement of the Texas gaming laws will continue for the next two years at the minimum.
The post Recent Arrests Demonstrate Poker Still Against the Law in Texas appeared first on Poker News Daily.
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