Months after approving poker rooms in Dallas, the city is revoking their licenses, CBS 11 News reports. The development came as a surprise to owners of the Texas Card House, who thought they were operating legally.
District 6 City Councilman Omar Narvaez, a representative of the neighborhood, supports the operation of these poker rooms.
Speaking of the sudden revoking of licenses, Narvaez said that he thinks it is unfair. “Unfortunately, our city attorney has decided to change the idea of what he believes constitutes card rules according to the law,” he said.
One of the CEOs of the Texas Card House located at the strip mall off Harry Hines, Ryan Crow, says that he had to sit through long meetings with the city in 2020 before he eventually got approval to operate the poker room.
He also said he and his co-owner searched for a location that the city could approve of.
Per CBS 11 News, Texas Card House owners say that about 215 people will lose their jobs if the poker room is shut down. Players will also lose a safe place to play the game.
The CEOs will not be letting the matter pass without a fight as they plan to appeal the city’s decision. According to the letter they received from the city, they need to close because they operate a gambling place of business.
According to CBS 11 News, the Texas Card House does not participate in illegal gambling but instead charges players $13 an hour to sit at a table. The news outlet reported that the house live-streams some of its games.
It is unknown if the city also revoked their certificates of occupancy.