Texaggie7nine said:
How many tables does he usually have going?
Just 1
Texaggie7nine said:
How many tables does he usually have going?
What the heck is his seat charge?David_Puddy said:Texaggie7nine said:
How many tables does he usually have going?
Just 1
10% of each potTexaggie7nine said:What the heck is his seat charge?David_Puddy said:Texaggie7nine said:
How many tables does he usually have going?
Just 1
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I get the risks involved, but I am still not seeing how this explanation then leads to the conclusion that the only explanation for these popping up across town is that these have to be backed by organized crime or shady people/money, which I believe is what you were stating or insinuating.
Texaggie7nine said:
Well my brother intends to keep his poker club legal and open to the public.
i'm assuming they had drinks and food for sale at these places as well.g_werch said:
I agree that the margins were likely small, but they are betting that eventually skill games are made legal in Texas and then they will have an established brand ready to "rake" it in. (Pun skills 1 hunnit)
The prosecution's angle is that since (according to them) the activity is illegal, every dollar that went through (even to buy a Coke) is money laundering.Quote:
Is there money laundering going on at some of them? Sure... But that's just the easy excuse to shut them down.
I get your points, but that is a horrific example.Proposition Joe said:
"If there is no rake it's not illegal" is right up there with "if I ask you if you're an undercover cop you have to tell me".
I'm going to open up a place where you can come in and pick whatever sports team you like and you can pay me a premium and I'll insure you if they lose.
It's not sports-booking though. No no. It's insurance. So it's legal.
You can make a case the laws need to be changed and you can make a case that it's a poor use of police resources... But these guys are profiting from running a gambling business.
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$17 MILLION SEIZED WITH LOW CONVICTION RATE
It is all allowed under Texas forfeiture laws, and it's big money for law enforcement. From 2014 through 2018, police agencies in Harris County seized more than $17 million from game rooms. But 55 percent, more than half, of those raids resulted in no convictions, according to a review of Harris County District Clerk records.
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But records show over the past five years, authorities rarely filed felony money laundering or organized crime cases that could shut down an operation, instead opting for low-level misdemeanor charges against game room employees, not the owners.
Institute for Justice attorney Anya Bidwell said those charges, with little consequences, result in a "revolving door" of game rooms getting raided and quickly re-opening.
"Instead of cracking down on crime, they're enabling it to continue to happen," Bidwell said.
BMX Bandit said:
That went well
https://m.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Ogg-dismisses-poker-room-cases-citing-conflict-14100499.php?ipid=mobbreaking
That's not the half of it. The defense witness is not just a witness. He was on the payroll of the poker room to advocate for legal protection and to influence pro-gambling legislation. Turns out he was also on Ogg's payroll for legal financial council despite not being a lawyer. So Ogg was employing someone that was employed by someone else to influence her. SHE could actually face corruption charges over this one! I'll be lauging my a$$ off if that happens.Quote:
Ogg cited potential conflicts of interests with a possible defense witness who is a former consultant and political fundraiser.
The public corruption federal investigation on this one will make for an interesting rest of the year. I'm hearing it extends past Ogg to other county officials.agnerd said:BMX Bandit said:
That went well
https://m.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Ogg-dismisses-poker-room-cases-citing-conflict-14100499.php?ipid=mobbreakingThat's not the half of it. The defense witness is not just a witness. He was on the payroll of the poker room to advocate for legal protection and to influence pro-gambling legislation. Turns out he was also on Ogg's payroll for legal financial council despite not being a lawyer. So Ogg was employing someone that was employed by someone else to influence her. SHE could actually face corruption charges over this one! I'll be lauging my a$$ off if that happens.Quote:
Ogg cited potential conflicts of interests with a possible defense witness who is a former consultant and political fundraiser.
Twenty-some-odd years ago I dated a girl who worked for Rusty Hardin and we went to a campaign event for Kim Ogg's run for judge. Rusty and all the big-time former DA's all backed her because at that time, she was just all hard-a pro-law, victim's rights, etc. I didn't know her or anything about her, but free booze.Boo Weekley said:
So glad the lesbians in my dreams look nothing like Kim Ogg.
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She's fairly attractive,
Come on - think back 25 years. And I didn't say hot, I said "fairly attractive".Panama Red said:Quote:
She's fairly attractive,
Know how I know you like dudes?