The social-poker club experiment in Cincinnati is over for the time being, as the beleagured Action Factory Cincinnati will close its doors within a week. According to an update published by the Cincinnati Enquirer, the club will close on Thursday, May 26.
Action Factory Cincinnati's decision to close permanently removes the possibility that the club's owners would continue their legal battle. Previously, the club's owners had filed suit against Sycamore Township and Hamilton County officials, after the club's zoning permit was revoked just three days after the club, on Cincinnati's eastern side, opened in late March.
One of the club's owners, Corey Albertson, detailed the significant startup expenses the club had incurred, only to have that permit revoked due only to an official change of opinion on the club's legality. As with similar "social" poker clubs found in other U.S. states, and primarily in Texas, Action Factory Cincy did not charge rake for its cash games or tournaments, but instead charged daily membership fees.
Club may relocate outside Hamilton County
Earlier, Albertson had told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the club had received notification of a planned raid by Hamilton County sheriffs' deputies should it open. The club did in fact open, but was unable to draw significant numbers of players in the face of the looming legal threat.
Albertson and his co-owners, however, remain at least partly undeterred. According to the latest Enquirer update, the club may reopen at a new location. "We do have intentions to reopen at an unspecified venue in the area, outside of Hamilton County, in the near future, and will keep all of our members in the loop as those plans become more tangible," said Albertson. Such hopes for a reopening will hinge on a neighboring county offering a friendlier interpretation of local and state gambling laws than that currently held to within Cincinnati and Hamilton County.
As for a planned reopening, it will take some time. Any notifications related to a renewed Action Factory Cincinnati may have to occur via e-mail and phone text, rather than social media. All content has been hidden on the Action Factory Cincy Facebook page, which previously carried banner ads for the cash games and limited tourneys the club was able to offer.
Featured image source: Facebook / Action Factory Cincinnati
