Local Houston poker players were concerned when the doors were closed at Johnny Chan‘s 88 Social Club poker room in Houston, TX, a few weeks ago.
Chan and a group of business partners bought the club, formerly known as 52 Social, a few years ago. In 2019, Chan filed suit against his business partners, claiming they stole funds and mismanaged the club.
The matter was ultimately settled out of court.
One of Chan’s ex-partners in the 88 Social Club, David La, proceeded to open another poker room called Legends Social Club just a couple of hundred yards away.
This may have caused many of Chan’s customers to switch to the new poker room as traffic decreased at 88 Social Club. In addition, the new poker room started offering players a host of promotions that became very popular and may have contributed to the drop in business at Chan’s poker room.
Chan Becomes Center of Controversy
La was already under some controversy before his business venture with Chan. He had recently lost his gaming license in California for his role in the Normandie Casino scandal involving money laundering.
The casino operator later pleaded guilty to the charges of violating the anti-laundering provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act and agreed to pay nearly $2.4 million due to not reporting some substantial cash transactions to the federal government.
In addition, it admitted to not reporting the sometimes large sums of cash that certain high-rollers would bring into the casino. The operator was also fined $1 million and agreed to forfeit another $1.38 million, which it received without filing any Currency Transaction Reports back in 2013.
New Poker Club Name, Same Poker Experience
The club has recently reopened under new ownership and renamed the 101 Poker Club. Some former 88 Social Club players have been concerned as many still have chips that haven’t been cashed in their possession.
Sanjeev Vora, the new owner of 101 Poker, assures players that a plan is in the works to guarantee funds are available to cover all outstanding chips.
He also has vowed to operate the business “in a manner we believe will comply with Texas Law.” Vora also stated that he believes there’s “less energy among politicians to shut this thing down, and more energy to make it work.”
Vora is currently the CEO of Chemium International Corporation and has 35 years working in the energy industry.
The laws regarding poker in Texas are much different than in other states that offer poker rooms.
Some politicians suggest that poker is still illegal in the state, even if it’s a private club. These rooms can operate because of a loophole in the law that permits them to work as clubs only for members with a fee for each person that desires to join.
The poker rooms then collect membership fees instead of collecting rake, which would cause them to break the law.
Most clubs are located in business centers without being part of a hotel or casino.
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