After being shut down due to a raid by lawenforcement earlier this year, there were questions as to whether Houston'sPrime Social Poker Club would ever reopen. Those questions have now been answeredas the owners of the membership only poker club have stated they will reopen inSeptember.
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) - Appearing in two different groups, seven of the nine charged with an elaborate money laundering scheme tied to two poker rooms appeared before a judge on Thursday. It happened on May 1 at the Post Oak Poker Club and Prime Social Poker Club, both located in Houston. The Harris County District Attorney's office and the Houston Police Department raided both of the clubs, arrested nine people, froze company bank accounts, and seized bank balances. These were the people taken into custody: Post Oak Poker Club.
September 5 Official Date for Reopening
Accordingto KPRC Houston Digital Editor Aaron Barker, spokesman Wayne Dolcefino issueda statement on the behalf of the ownership of Prime Social Poker Club with thedetails that many were waiting for. In that statement, Dolcefino said thatSeptember 5 would be the official reopening of the club, with the businesscontacting prior employees in a way of getting the business back up and runningquicker. 'We look forward to our 11,000 memberscoming back and bringing a bunch of friends with them,' Dolcefino said.
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There was no statement from the club regardingany changes to the club with the reopening, but its business format was somethingthat was sweeping Texas as a whole. Because of laws in the state prohibitingTexas Hold'em (and gambling as a whole), many entrepreneurs – the owners ofPrime Social Poker Club – felt they had found a loophole in the laws. Openingup as 'membership only' clubs and charging a membership fee for entrance, thesenew poker rooms offered cash games and tournament poker to a ravenous audience.The businesses didn't take any rake – another issue that plagues poker businesses– and instead made revenues (after the membership fees) through the sale ofrefreshments.
For more than a year in Houston, these clubswere allowed to operate and became quite popular. In the city, Prime SocialPoker Club and one of its rivals, Post Oak Poker Club (there has been noannouncement as to a reopening for Post Oak), became the two biggest operationsin the city, extremely popular with poker players who could now settle in for agame in their home town rather than take a long trip to Louisiana or Oklahoma.That was until this spring, however, when the local District Attorney started astrange journey that ended up leaving law enforcement highly embarrassed.
Ending Up with 'Ogg' on Their Faces
In a stunning raid in May Houston lawenforcement, acting at the behest of District Attorney Kim Ogg, entered boththe Prime Social and Post Oak Poker Clubs, arrested the ownership of theoperations (charging them with money laundering), seized over $200,000 in cashon the premises and froze their bank accounts. In total, nine people from bothclubs were arrested and, naturally, the businesses were shut down after theraids. On the way to their day in court, however, a strange twist occurred.
Almost as stunningly as the raids happened, Ogg would drop the cases against the nine owners in July after evidence appeared that the two businesses had solicited the District Attorney's office for legal guidance on their operations and had been given the go-ahead. In particular, a consultant to Ogg was allegedly paid $250,000 to work on an ordinance that would make the clubs fully legal in the city limits and avoid the potential for such a situation as what occurred in May. That ordinance never came to light (another long story), but it was enough to demonstrate that the DA's office was not acting as a neutral arbiter in the case.
Prime Social Poker Club Houston Texans
Ending Up with 'Ogg' on Their Faces
In a stunning raid in May Houston lawenforcement, acting at the behest of District Attorney Kim Ogg, entered boththe Prime Social and Post Oak Poker Clubs, arrested the ownership of theoperations (charging them with money laundering), seized over $200,000 in cashon the premises and froze their bank accounts. In total, nine people from bothclubs were arrested and, naturally, the businesses were shut down after theraids. On the way to their day in court, however, a strange twist occurred.
Almost as stunningly as the raids happened, Ogg would drop the cases against the nine owners in July after evidence appeared that the two businesses had solicited the District Attorney's office for legal guidance on their operations and had been given the go-ahead. In particular, a consultant to Ogg was allegedly paid $250,000 to work on an ordinance that would make the clubs fully legal in the city limits and avoid the potential for such a situation as what occurred in May. That ordinance never came to light (another long story), but it was enough to demonstrate that the DA's office was not acting as a neutral arbiter in the case.
Prime Social Poker Club Houston Texans
Faced with these mistakes, Ogg was left withno choice but to drop the charges against the Houston club owners. Anotherlawsuit, charging the clubs with violations of 'nuisance' laws in the city, wasdropped also because the criminal investigations that they came from wererendered moot by the dismissal of charges. The best that Ogg could do was toforward the case to the Federal Bureau of Investigations for furtherexamination as her office was left highly embarrassed.
Crash gambling with paypal. What Will Happen?
Prime Social Poker Club Houston Astros
In roughly two weeks, Prime Social Poker Club will reopen and probably will have a throng of players waiting to get to the tables. Prime Social Poker Club has stated that they are 'reviewing their options' as to reclaiming any lost revenue from being shut down since May, potentially revenues that could total into the high six-figures. But Prime Social Poker Club will be back come the beginning of September – and hopefully without the harassment from law enforcement.
