Poker Writer
The Lodge Card Club released a statement on Sunday after several days of speculation following the news of a raid on the establishment last week. On Monday, Doug Polk broke his silence and released a statement of his own.
The new statement from the Lodge posted on X, a long one of over 400 words, reiterated much of what was already known about the situation. Of most note, the club confirmed it had its assets and bank accounts frozen as it still awaits any potential charges. The popular cardroom has closed “until the investigation concludes.”
Many wondered if a liquor licensing infraction was at the root of the raid, considering the known presence of Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) agents. However, Polk’s statement indicated a money-laundering investigation is underway:
“I did not participate in, and still have no knowledge of, any money laundering in the operation of the Lodge,” he wrote.
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The Lodge Staff Members in Limbo
The club has no timetable for the duration of the closure, which doesn’t sound very promising in the short term.
Unfortunately, we do not know how long this process will take or when we will be allowed to operate again. We obviously believe that the longer our doors remain closed, the greater the impact becomes — not just on the business itself, but on the hundreds of staff members, vendors, partners, and community members who rely on The Lodge every day.
The unclear future is particularly difficult for the 200 staff members that the Lodge employs:
As much as we would like to provide a detailed update, we are unable to do so at this time because, despite our legal team’s best efforts to obtain additional information from the authorities, very little information has been made available.
The unclear nature of the timetable has led some staff members, such as dealers, to seek assistance on funding websites. They have also made a Facebook group for Lodge workers looking for side work in the meantime.
Doug Polk Responds
The Lodge co-owner promised a statement on the raid the day it happened, last Tuesday. However, he remained silent for nearly a week until Monday afternoon.
Polk denied the allegations of money laundering. He said that the search warrant does not necessarily indicate that a crime was committed. He reiterated The Lodge’s statement, expressing his heartbreak for the staff members affected. But at the advice of his lawyers, he did not go into much more detail:
With the advice of my lawyers, I am committed to cooperating with law enforcement officials, answering any questions they have, and doing everything I can to clear up the confusion of what has and has not been happening at The Lodge.
For now, other cardrooms can reap the bounty of the business vacated by the Lodge’s closure. However, all Texas poker stakeholders are likely watching the situation with unease. After all, the Lodge could merely be the first and highest-profile target if state authorities have decided they’ve had enough of the Texas cardrooms.
