A judge has granted a Dallas poker room permission to stay open, putting an end to a multi-year legal battle.
The 5th District Court of Appeals in Dallas ruled on Tuesday that Texas Card House should be allowed to keep its certificate of occupancy, per The Dallas Morning News.
The card house has fought for years for its permit to be reinstated. The legal trouble began in February 2022, when Dallas began revoking the licenses of poker rooms in the city, including Texas Card House, as reported by The Dallas Express.
According to the letter the card house received from the City, the establishment was ordered to close as it was operating an illegal gambling house. Texard Card House argued that it does not participate in illegal gambling but instead charges players an hourly fee to sit at a table.
Consequently, Texas Card House appealed to the Dallas Board of Adjustment, a volunteer board made up of Dallas City Council appointees, who overturned the City’s decision in March 2022.
Dallas’ then-chief building official, Andrew Espinoza, sued Texas Card House and the Board of Adjustment, calling for the card house’s license to be revoked again.
In November 2022, District Judge Eric Moye voted to uphold the City’s decision to revoke the card house’s license, saying the board made an illegal decision to allow it to stay in business, per DX.
This led to a legal battle between Espinoza and the Board of Adjustment.
The City spent at least $550,000 for legal expenses related to the lawsuit between the former City building official and the Board of Adjustment.
The conflict poses a bigger question of the legality of poker clubs in Dallas.
The Dallas City Plan Commission has discussed updating its development code to allow poker rooms to operate regardless of state law. Poker rooms would require a special permit to operate in a private place with no participant earning any economic benefit.
The commission had voted to delay its decision on amending the code until legal battles involving the Texas Card House ended.