Police have arrested 18 people connected to an illegal poker game in the metro Atlanta area. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Police raid illegal poker game

Police have arrested 18 people in connection with an illegal poker game in the Atlanta metro area and have confiscated $50,000 in cash.

On September 11, police raided the Royal Flush Bar & Grill in Duluth, Georgia at 5am It is alleged that the 18 people arrested were involved in an illegal game of poker operated by a non-profit organization to which the bar had rented the space.

their names are being dragged through the mud”

A representative from the bar said that the people arrested were “innocent and their names are being dragged through the mud.”

Of those arrested, 13 were customers and five were nonprofit organization employees.

Police from the Gwinnett County Police Department’s Vice Unit confiscated a number of items, including gambling-related paraphernalia and the aforementioned $50,000 in cash. No court date has been set for anyone apprehended.

Using the raffle code

Georgia has very strict anti-poker laws and thus there are no brick-and-mortar buildings that operate poker games. In an attempt to get around these laws, Royal Flush ran poker games citing Georgia’s code 16-12-22.1: raffles operated by non-profit, tax-exempt organizations.

It subsequently rented out some of its space to a non-profit organization, which ran the actual games. Stakes ranged from $1/$3 to $2/$5. According to a legal representative for Royal Flush, the raffle mode it used for the poker games was legal.

hopeful that once he gets in front of a judge he can explain the legality of the model in more detail

Those arrested are said to be “scared and concerned” because of the legal issues they may face. The Royal Flush representative is hopeful that once he gets in front of a judge he can explain the legality of the model in more detail, avoiding a trial for the people arrested.

Gambling laws in the US

In the US, the legality of gambling varies from state to state, as the federal government leaves individual states to create their own laws on the matter. Most state laws prohibit unlicensed games or bets that rely – in some part – upon the element of chance.

In 2019, officials in Texas arrested nine people in connection with illegal poker games and money laundering following a two-year investigation.

In the same year, two North Carolina businesses were raided after residents reported them for operating as sweepstakes casinos. While a number of items were seized, no arrests were made.