‘This Is a Witch Hunt’: Poker World Rallies Behind The Lodge After $2M Seizure
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Why are Texas authorities targeting The Lodge Card Club over illegal gambling allegations?
Doug Polk, co-owner of the Austin-area card room, initially referred to the March 10 raid as a "witch hunt." Many poker fans are now starting to come around to the notion after the state failed to charge the poker room's owners with a crime, but are still refusing to give the business the more than $2 million the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) seized in the raid.
"Lawmakers who create/ignore laws that allow legal theft should be exposed and campaigned against," @LeeRBagby commented.
The "legal theft" is in reference to the civil asset forfeiture filed in a Texas district court that permits the state to hold onto the money collected in the raid due to probable cause of The Lodge engaging in illegal gambling.
It is not required in a civil forfeiture case for authorities to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime has been committed to keep seized money. All they have to do is show probable cause to a judge, basically more than just mere suspicion of a crime but not necessarily enough evidence to get a conviction.
Legal Poker Room Theft?
Last week's news seemed to bring the poker community together in support of a poker room that many argued has been unjustly targeted by the TABC. Even some poker players who aren't particularly fond of Polk are standing up against this "legal theft."
"It was a witch hunt, the state of Texas are absolute f*****g morons. Who works for the state of Texas that got their a** kicked at the Lodge?" @CallingYousOut asked.
"What a f*****g joke," Nick Palma, who has been on a heater lately, quote tweeted.
"Nothing like destroying a business and putting people out of work for no reason. It’s a shakedown. They want a settlement and they will want to claim victory. It’s also a message to the other clubs," @opmsu argues.
The Lodge Card Club, two weeks after the raid, made the decision to lay off nearly 200 employees due to the company's uncertain future. Although the poker club still can't retrieve its assets, a permanent closure still doesn't seem likely. But it's also unclear how long the legal process will last.
Many poker fans supporting The Lodge referred to civil forfeiture laws as "anti-American" and a "money grab," along with the legalized theft takes.
"Forfeiture and Seizure power must be obliterated, unless a criminal charge & conviction are obtained," @Kirk31614869 opines.
"This witch hunt is just another micro example of how poker is viewed in many countries," Los Angeles poker grinder Derek Kwan wrote, pushing for poker by lawmakers "like chess and or competitive video games."
Why is The Lodge Card Club Being Targeted?
An Austin poker player (@data_atx) trashed Williamson County District Attorney Shawn Dick for "selectively enforcing rules against poker," targeting The Lodge while permitting a World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) series to run later this month at TCH Social in the same county.
"This would normally be called armed robbery but because it's the government, it's fine," @SATX_Poker sarcastically wrote.
"No charges filed but Texas keeps the $2M. That's the most expensive rake in poker history," @PlusevT5133 joked.
"Government overreach at its peak. Hold the money regardless if they will charge the operation criminally or not. Why is every form of gambling legal except poker?" @GregJC17 asks.
The TABC initially went after The Lodge on suspicion of money laundering, organized crime, and illegal gambling. A civil forfeiture asset filing in a Williamson County district court indicated the DA is now only pursuing civil measures related to the illegal gambling allegations.
Many within the poker community are standing up in support of The Lodge Card Club and its owners, which includes Polk, Brad Owen, Andrew Neeme, and Jake Abdalla. And some are questioning why the dozens of other Texas poker rooms aren't facing the same legal scrutiny.
Editor's Note: The perspectives shared by those featured in this story belong to them alone and aren’t endorsed by PokerNews
