Poker player, vlogger, and influencer Doug Polk has announced that he is “stepping back” from his role in the management of The Lodge Card Club near Austin, Texas.
“As many of you know, I’ve always enjoyed building businesses and taking on new challenges,” Polk said in a social media post Friday morning. “With several other projects demanding more of my time, and my family continuing to grow, I’ve decided this is the right time to step back from my involvement with The Lodge so I can focus more fully on those priorities. While I’ll remain a shareholder, I will no longer have any active role or involvement with The Lodge. The company will move forward under its current leadership.”
He went on to thank everyone who has been involved with the popular poker room and said The Lodge is in good hands.
Polk made no mention of the recent tumult The Lodge Card Club went through this year or if it had anything to do with his decision to step away from the business.
In March, the poker venue was raided by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) for, at the time, undisclosed reasons. According to those present, law enforcement officers required everyone to show identification before being allowed to go home. Though cash and other assets were seized, nobody was arrested. The club was forced to close indefinitely.
Once the dust had settled, it was revealed that the club was under investigation for illegal gambling, money laundering, and organized crime. A couple weeks after the raid, co-owner Jason Levin announced that the business would be closed “for the foreseeable future.”
“While no charges have been brought, and we maintain that the club has always operated with the utmost integrity and within the laws of Texas, the Williamson County District Attorney’s office has made clear to our attorneys that they believe The Lodge’s current business model does not comply with Texas law,” Levin wrote. “For this reason, we cannot re-open. Doing so would run the risk that authorities might once again raid The Lodge, seize more cash and assets, and potentially make arrests. Because we have not been given any indication of when the investigation will conclude, we have no other viable path forward at this time.”
All staff members were laid off.
On April 28, a grand jury voted against an indictment, all charges were dropped, and assets were ordered to be returned to the club. The Lodge Card Club reopened, with many of its prior staff members, on May 26.
