The Lodge Card Club just outside of Austin, Texas, has announced that it will reopen on May 26 at 9:00am, two and a half months after it was raided by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC).
The raid occurred on the morning of March 10, just hours after the end of the  Lodge Championship Series. At the time, very little was known about exactly what was going on. According to poker players who were present at the time, law enforcement officers required everyone to produce identification before they were allowed to go home, with no reason for the demand given.
It was later revealed that The Lodge Card Club was under investigation for money laundering, organized crime, and illegal gambling. TABC agents seized cash and other assets, forcing the venue to close. Nobody was arrested.
Two weeks later, with the future of The Lodge uncertain, co-owner Jason Levin told employees that the club would remain 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 said in an e-mail to employees. “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.”
As a result, all employees were laid off.
On April 28, however, things turned around, as a grand jury voted against an indictment, clearing a path for The Lodge to eventually open its doors again. All charges were dropped and seized assets had to be returned.
Of course, the club didn’t have employees anymore, so people needed to be hired back. While we don’t know how many of those laid off were re-hired – some likely found other jobs in the meantime – it seems like The Lodge is or will be set for staff, since it feels confident enough to announce the re-opening date.
Poker at the Lodge, the club’s popular livestream, is also expected to return.
