Poker players in the city of Dallas may have to start looking for another way to play cards. Despite getting the proper permits to run regulated poker rooms, establishments like the Texas Card House are no longer allowed to host games.
The city decided to revoke these permits just a few months after approving them.
This decision affects both the owners of these gambling sites, along with the hundreds of patrons they see daily. Determined gamblers seek out illegal avenues since the Texas casino landscape is minimal and online wagering isn’t permitted yet.
That’s part of the reason these poker businesses were doing so well. Lone Star State residents finally had a place to go to bet on some poker.
Now, it seems that’s all coming to a halt for no particular reason.
Texas Card House CEO, Ryan Crow, discussed all the work that his operation did so that they could open the doors. According to CBS DFW, Crow said:
“We spent about 2-and-a-half years trying to find a location that we could open that the city approved of.”
Dallas stops poker rooms
The Texas Card House operates in a strip mall on the Harry Hines Boulevard in Northwest Dallas. Here, around 400-500 guests play Texas Hold’em each day.
As opposed to taking a portion of the money wagered on every hand, customers must pay $13 each hour for a spot at a table.
Along with the search for a proper poker house venue, Crow described the many long meetings needed with the city to move things along. However, it now appears that lawmakers in Dallas are now retracting poker permits in the blink of an eye.
Poker houses told that licenses are invalid
Owners of poker establishments got letters stating their licenses for “keeping a gambling place” are no longer valid.
Of course, the announcement upset plenty of others, too.
Omar Narvaez, the District 6 City Councilman, discussed his displeasure with how the city handled the situation. He said:
“I think it’s unfair that all of the sudden all of these COs (certificates of occupancy) for all these card rooms have suddenly been revoked. Unfortunately our city attorney has decided to change the idea of what he believes constitutes card rules according to the law.”
Crow and other owners are hoping this isn’t the final resolution, though. They intend to appeal the ruling at the Texas Card House, mentioning that more than 200 people will be let go if it is no longer running.
Then there are all of the patrons. Legal poker rooms provided a safe place to do something they love in a state that doesn’t offer much else in terms of gambling.
Folks like Steven Gribin must look for alternatives in order to find a card game with this recent news. He said:
“I’m retired and I like playing cards. It keeps my head going, it keeps me aware.”
It’s clear that this recent decision is going to impact many in the Dallas area. Perhaps the appeal will work when those in charge understand all the people this reversal affects.
