The Katy Poker card room in Katy, Texas was raided by authorities on Thursday night.
Investigators from the Harris County DA’s office rounded on the card room, around 30 miles west of Houston, after what is reported to be a year-long investigation.
Allegations center around the raking of pots, a common cash game practice in most card rooms around the world, but one which is illegal in the state of Texas. Players are instead required to pay for membership or for seat-time at the tables.
Four people are reported to have been arrested, none of whom are believed to have been players at the tables.
Poker’s legal issues are bigger in Texas
The raid is the latest to hit the state following a similar operation last month at the nearby 101 Poker Club, with Houston’s Lucky J Social Club also raided — and reopened — shortly before that.
Perhaps the highest profile card room in the state was also at the center of the highest profile raid back in March, when The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock was hit. Accounts were frozen and employees were let go, before all charges were dropped. The club reopened in late April.
Details of exactly who has been arrested at Katy Poker, and on what specific charges, are unknown at this time. If rake was being taken from cash games pots, those charges may include money laundering and engaging in organized criminal activity.
We’ll bring you more news on this developing story as it unfolds.
Featured image courtesy of KHOU 11.
