The Lodge Issues Statement; Assets Frozen & Still No Charges Filed

The Lodge Card Membership issued a contemporary assertion on Sunday, March 15, offering an replace on the scenario that has left the Texas poker site closed following a raid by authorities earlier within the week.

The Spherical Rock venue, co-owned by Doug Polk, Andrew Neeme, and Brad Owen, confirmed that all the membership’s property and financial institution accounts have been frozen as a part of the continued investigation.

Within the assertion posted on X, the membership mentioned it understands the priority amongst gamers and workers, notably with greater than 200 staff affected and gamers holding chips or ready on match payouts.

“We acknowledge that the closure has had a severe impression for a lot of,” the membership wrote. “Greater than 200 workers members depend on The Lodge for his or her livelihoods, and lots of of our members have funds tied up in chips or pending match payouts.”

No Costs Filed But

Regardless of the continued investigation, The Lodge mentioned it has not been knowledgeable of any costs towards the enterprise and stays totally cooperative with authorities.

“We will verify that all the membership’s property and financial institution accounts have been frozen.”

“We have now been instructed to not re-open till the investigation concludes,” the assertion continued. “What we do know is that no costs have been filed, and we stay dedicated to cooperating totally in order that any considerations may be addressed.”

The membership added that its authorized workforce has tried to acquire extra info from authorities however that little or no element has been offered to date.

The assertion comes days after authorities from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Fee (TABC) executed a search warrant on the poker site as a part of an investigation into suspected cash laundering and unlawful playing.

A part of an Ongoing Week of Developments

The Sunday replace is the newest growth in a turbulent week for the Texas poker site.

Earlier protection from PokerNews detailed how authorities raided the venue shortly after the conclusion of the Lodge Championship Sequence Essential Occasion, prompting the room to close its doorways whereas the investigation continues.

Shortly afterward, the cardboard room issued an preliminary electronic mail to members explaining that it was nonetheless working with attorneys to know the scenario.

Co-owner Polk later reassured gamers that their funds had been secure, calling the investigation a “witch hunt” whereas awaiting extra info from authorities.

The disruption additionally compelled the postponement of the upcoming World Poker Tour (WPT) Lodge Wildcard occasion, which had been scheduled to run March 13–15.

No Timeline for Reopening

The Lodge mentioned it at the moment has no timeline for reopening, noting the longer the membership stays closed, the larger the impression will likely be on workers, distributors, and the broader poker neighborhood.

“Sadly, we have no idea how lengthy this course of will take or once we will likely be allowed to function once more,” the assertion learn. “The longer our doorways stay closed, the larger the impression turns into — not simply on the enterprise itself, however on the a whole lot of workers members, distributors, companions, and neighborhood members who depend on The Lodge on daily basis.”

As of now, no arrests have been made and no costs have been filed, and the poker site says it’s going to present additional updates as soon as extra info turns into obtainable.

Calum has been part of the PokerNews workforce since September 2021 after working within the UK vitality sector. He performed his first hand of poker in 2017 and instantly fell in love with the sport.

Calum has written for numerous poker shops however discovered his house at PokerNews, the place he has contributed to numerous articles and reside updates, offering insights and reporting on main poker occasions, together with the World Sequence of Poker (WSOP).