Lodge Card Club Raided / Grand Jury does not indict any Lodge employees
Came looking for some info on this, but I guess I will kick the thread off. Anyone there at the time or know more detail
A) never said Lodge took pot rake. The list was about TX cardrooms rooms and many of those do rake pots. In fact almost all in Houston do. I won’t comment on details of other locales. B) Few problems. AG opinions are not binding. At most they indicate the state won’t pursue criminal activity and won’t support local DA actions. But they are not binding on judge
I feel bad for even quoting this ...but wtf dude. You expect people to read this book? Im all for some well thought out debate or conversation but my god
At the original TCH down south you were charged an hourly seat fee for the tournaments. I played in 3, cashed in 2 and lost money. You essentially needed to win every other tournament to break even.
Exactly proving the point. While the original TCH biz model may have been legal, it doesn’t seem viable as a biz model. Almost seems like that is what was intended in the laws exceptions.
I feel bad for even quoting this ...but wtf dude. You expect people to read this book? Im all for some well thought out debate or conversation but my god
Sorry if legal landscape exceeds your attention span. Reality is far more complicated than…it’s a witch hunt.
...That said, Doug recently went public and said players would be made whole. While that may have been the right thing to say in the moment, it may also have been a legal blunder or at least a very dangerous expectation to create publicly.Just consider the scenario where the investigation fizzles out, the Lodge pays fines, reopens, and then gets hit again later. Does anyone rea
It's hard to see a Lodge reopening scenario due to the "no economic benefit for running poker games" law. Charging membership fees is an economic benefit.
It's hard to see a Lodge reopening scenario due to the "no economic benefit for running poker games" law. Charging membership fees is an economic benefit.
I think if you just charged like a monthly membership, that would indeed be looked at differently. Like if a country club (where people mostly joined to play golf) required a paid membership and also allowed people to play poker on the premises, I think that would probably be OK. Maybe if would matter if they had employees dealing?
I think if you just charged like a monthly membership, that would indeed be looked at differently. Like if a country club (where people mostly joined to play golf) required a paid membership and also allowed people to play poker on the premises, I think that would probably be OK. Maybe if would matter if they had employees dealing?
correct. if the primary reason for your establishment isn't gambling no one is ever going to care. country clubs and elks lodges or whatever hav always and will always have poker and gambling nights unabated.
I think if you just charged like a monthly membership, that would indeed be looked at differently. Like if a country club (where people mostly joined to play golf) required a paid membership and also allowed people to play poker on the premises, I think that would probably be OK. Maybe if would matter if they had employees dealing?
Rather than going to city hall meetings and getting embarrassed by concerned residents and family-oriented opponents, which literally already happened in Farmers Branch, Doug should have been trying to partner with the horse racing industry instead.
That model at least has a clearer regulatory path.
Florida already gives you proof of concept because its cardrooms are tied to licensed pari-mutuel facilities (They tied cardrooms to greyhound racing in the 90s) and operate inside an established gaming framework instead of this shaky standalone social-club theory. This solves the AML concerns, regulatory oversight, etc.
If the goal is longevity, that is the path. Not endless city hall fights and gray-area legal theory.
Maybe the stand up game falls under "illegal gambling games"? Did the lodge also have a sportsbook?
Rather than going to city hall meetings and getting embarrassed by concerned residents and family-oriented opponents, which literally already happened in Farmers Branch, Doug should have been trying to partner with the horse racing industry instead.That model at least has a clearer regulatory path. Florida already gives you proof of concept because its cardrooms are tied to lic
I'm not aware that horse tracks are permitted to host poker games in Texas, so not sure what partnering with them might accomplish? If you mean he should've worked with them to try and establish regulation that would permit it, we've had poker clubs since 2014 here in Texas, well over a decade now.
Maybe the stand up game falls under "illegal gambling games"? Did the lodge also have a sportsbook?
No sportsbook at the lodge.
I'm not aware that horse tracks are permitted to host poker games in Texas, so not sure what partnering with them might accomplish? If you mean he should've worked with them to try and establish regulation that would permit it, we've had poker clubs since 2014 here in Texas, well over a decade now.
That is basically my point. I am not saying tracks can host poker right now under current Texas law. I am saying card rooms need to stop fighting over which shade of gray is acceptable and start aligning with an industry that already has legalized wagering, an existing regulator, and an actual political framework behind it.
If the goal is longevity, full legalization or something close to it is the only real path. Florida at least gives you proof of concept for a model where cardrooms are attached to licensed wagering facilities instead of trying to survive forever on a fragile private-club theory.
Because at this point it seems pretty obvious the gray-area model is only going to keep drawing scrutiny.
Sorry if legal landscape exceeds your attention span. Reality is far more complicated than…it’s a witch hunt.
Was quite positive this would come from you. Its your writing style, it reads like ...well..you didnt write it.
I actually read all of it and its incomprehensible from a lamen perspective which makes it mostly useless. And I understand law better than your average person.
Just make it make sense in a reasonable few paragraphs if you want others to benefit from reading it. Or did you write it with some other motive in mind?
That is basically my point. I am not saying tracks can host poker right now under current Texas law. I am saying card rooms need to stop fighting over which shade of gray is acceptable and start aligning with an industry that already has legalized wagering, an existing regulator, and an actual political framework behind it.If the goal is longevity, full legalization or somethin
Except Florida closed down all the dog racing a few years ago and still has poker rooms at defunct tracts, horse tracks and even one in a new location in a shopping center because a hurricane totalled one of the dog tracks 6-7 years ago.
Except Florida closed down all the dog racing a few years ago and still has poker rooms at defunct tracts, horse tracks and even one in a new location in a shopping center because a hurricane totalled one of the dog tracks 6-7 years ago.
Precisely my point; racing industry is headed same direction as greyhounds where it will become a regional thing...
Derby Lane and others closed down the greyhound tracks years ago, but have bustling poker rooms.
Racing was the entry point for legal and regulated poker in Florida; Texas should follow suit, frame poker as pari-mutuel wagering and remove the gray area clubs...
my opinion is that as long as Texas social clubs operate, TABC and others will continue their "Witch hunt."
*That’s why it’s so painful to say that The Lodge Round Rock location will need to shut its doors for the foreseeable future. While no charges have been brought, and we maintain that the club has always operated with the utmost integrity and within the laws of Texas, the Williamson County District Attorney’s office has made clear to our attorneys that they believe The Lodge’s current business model does not comply with Texas law. For this reason, we cannot re-open. Doing so would run the risk that authorities might once again raid The Lodge, seize more cash and assets, and potentially make arrests. Because we have not been given any indication of when the investigation will conclude, we have no other viable path forward at this time. As a result, we are forced to make the incredibly difficult decision to let our entire staff go.*
This was always dubious. Literally broadcasting it to the entire world that gambling is legal in Texas was the death knell.
Precisely my point; racing industry is headed same direction as greyhounds where it will become a regional thing... Derby Lane and others closed down the greyhound tracks years ago, but have bustling poker rooms. Racing was the entry point for legal and regulated poker in Florida; Texas should follow suit, frame poker as pari-mutuel wagering and remove the gray area clubs... my
And my point is that those racetracks that no longer operate are now operating in the same gray area as the stand alone poker rooms in Texas. The Seminoles have been vocal about closing these rooms.
But I agree that for the last 20 years, placing additional types of gambling along side already legal gambling such as horse or dog racing has been successfully utilized in many states to expand it outside of casinos.
Rather than going to city hall meetings and getting embarrassed by concerned residents and family-oriented opponents, which literally already happened in Farmers Branch, Doug should have been trying to partner with the horse racing industry instead.That model at least has a clearer regulatory path. Florida already gives you proof of concept because its cardrooms are tied to lic
Card rooms at tracks and frotons in Fla were not from cardrooms working with those. It was done by specific legislative action. A law was passed specifically allowing it.
The parallel in TX would be passing a law to make poker legal at tracks. Only thing Polk et al, could do would be convince tracks to ask govt for such a law. Govt not going to pass such a law because Polk ask for it if the tracks were against. AFAIK tracks are generally against cardrooms so unlikely to ask for such a law.
That is basically my point. I am not saying tracks can host poker right now under current Texas law. I am saying card rooms need to stop fighting over which shade of gray is acceptable and start aligning with an industry that already has legalized wagering, an existing regulator, and an actual political framework behind it.If the goal is longevity, full legalization or somethin
TX tracks have not given any indication they want poker. But would still take a specific law just like it did in Fla. And even if these occurred, how many tracks are there in TX? Per AI there are 4. So your model would yield 4 poker rooms for state of TX.
You think that is optimal use of current room time? Why wouldn’t those tracks just open their own rooms and shut out current owners? That is what happened in Fla. eventually casino operators bought their way in.
lol not much...he's either a troll or delusional
Card rooms at tracks and frotons in Fla were not from cardrooms working with those. It was done by specific legislative action. A law was passed specifically allowing it.The parallel in TX would be passing a law to make poker legal at tracks. Only thing Polk et al, could do would be convince tracks to ask govt for such a law. Govt not going to pass such a law because Polk ask f
If the top post on the Poker subreddit is true... It looks like the lodge in round rock is officially shut down.
https://www.reddit.com/r/poker/comments/...
I won't derail the thread about talking about racing anymore, but it would be mutually beneficial for the tracks and the local poker playing community.
Four places to play, outside of each major city in Texas, is better than zero.
The gray room era might be over. Lodge might be the first domino to fall.
Welp, there goes The Lodge. It stayed open for many years but looks like Wilco is going to keep it shutdown. Typical for that county. I doubt they would do this but there is the option (expensive) to maybe move over to Travis county spot. I played there since prob around 2018.
I’m pretty sure modeling any legislation changes to mimic California laws regarding card rooms would be more appropriate than Florida laws.
Why would Polk and company opt to open a room in Texas, anyway? They have some of the strictest gambling laws in the nation.
If the top post on the Poker subreddit is true... It looks like the lodge in round rock is officially shut down.https://www.reddit.com/r/poker/comments/...I won't derail the thread about talking about racing anymore, but it would be mutually beneficial for the tracks and the local poker playing community. Four places to play, o
As discussed done on redit will be interesting to see if TCH RR stays open.
But assuming Lodge doesn’t fight it, which is not said in the statement, there will still not be a binding case and def nothing state wide. Though TABC could decide to try and push things administratively.
I'm pretty sure modeling any legislation changes to mimic California laws regarding card rooms would be more appropriate than Florida laws.
Why would Polk and company opt to open a room in Texas, anyway They have some of the strictest gambling laws in the nation.
They did not open a room. They bought into established room followed by some expansion.
