Champions Social Club will soon welcome poker players after a lengthy legal battle with the City of Dallas over its right to operate in a former steakhouse.
The city had revoked a previously approved permit for the club to operate last year. A five-member Board of Adjustment Panel voted 4-1 to reverse that decision after the Texas Supreme Court declined to take up an appeals court ruling in a similar case at another poker room.
Texas Card House, another private poker club in the city, continued to operate throughout its legal fight, while Champions has been waiting to open for the first time. Champions also operates a club in Houston and TCH has six locations throughout the state.
Poker club opposed by neighbors
Members of the community, both for and against the project, turned out Tuesday for a hearing on the matter that lasted more than seven hours before a vote was taken. The club had planned to open in 2021 in the former III Forks Steakhouse, but it faced opposition from a nearby subdivision and clashing intrepretations of poker's legality in Texas.
Champions, which has invested $15 million into renovating the property, filed a lawsuit when was originally turned down for a Certificate of Occupancy in 2021, leading to the three-year legal showdown between the city and poker operators. They were eventually granted the certificate in 2024, but the city changed course the following week, claiming it was an error.
The City of Dallas opposes any poker rooms in the city, maintaining that they violate state law. Other rooms operate throughout the state using a private club model, which functions through a loophole in the otherwise tough anti-gambling laws in Texas. The clubs charge a membership fee and seat rental, but do not collect rake or benefit from the games themselves.
The final vote included an amendment for an eight-foot fence to separate traffic between the poker room and the subdivision, among other considerations. No word was given on when Champions Dallas will finally open to the public for business.
Lead image courtesy of Champions Social Club.
