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No Charges Yet But Authorities Still Plan to Keep $2,000,000 Seized from The Lodge
Description
In the 955th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway is joined by Mike Holtz and Ben Ludlow for a special episode devoted to the latest update in The Lodge saga.
The popular poker room near Austin, Texas, was raided back on March 10, and authorities had a 30-day window, until April 9, to file for civil asset forfeiture. Despite not yet filing any criminal charges, authorities did file a document with the 480th Judicial District Court in Williamson County that explained why the state is holding on to over $2 million in assets.
The future of The Lodge Card Club is uncertain now that the state can hold onto the money. But Thursday's outcome doesn't mean this is the end for the major poker club, nor does it ensure criminal charges will never be filed. The nine-page court document indicates the state is no longer pursuing money laundering allegations against the Texas card room and instead is focusing on the alleged illegal gambling aspect.
What does this mean for the future of poker in Texas? There may be some clues in the court documents, which the crew explores in full.
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Time Stamps
*Time Topic*
00:00 | Welcome to the show
00:42 | Authorities file before deadline
03:00 | Focus on illegal gambling; money laundering dropped
05:30 | The Texas poker model under fire?
12:00 | Raking tournaments?
15:30 | Isn't Texas supposed to be land of the free?
19:00 | Where did the money come from?
21:27 | Could a settlement be in store?
23:17 | What are economic benefits?