The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department raided the Copa Club, a poker room in Westlake, Texas, on Monday. The Forth Worth area club posted a note on its Instagram page to inform customers of the room’s closure.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are closed at the moment. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience, and appreciate your understanding. We will keep you updated, and we look forward to reopening our doors to you very promptly,” the business wrote.

A post shared by The Copa Club (@thecopaclub)

What’s Going on with the Poker Club?

The Dallas-Forth Worth metro has a limited number of legally operating card rooms, most notably Texas Card House’s two locations. Many towns in the area oppose all forms of gambling. Doug Polk and his team even attempted to open a room last year in Farmers Branch, a town near Dallas, but were unsuccessful following a city council vote.

Copa Club recently opened in Westlake, a city with no other operating card rooms. The business operates as both a membership-based poker room and a restaurant/bar.

Texas has strict anti-gambling laws, but a loophole in Texas Penal Code Section 47 does permit non-raked rooms to exist. As such, the legal rooms such as TCH, Champions Club, and The Lodge Card Club charge membership and seat fees instead of collecting rake. But there are certain jurisdictions in Texas that refuse to license the membership-based poker club model.

Many towns in the DFW metro fit into that category, including Westlake. PokerNews’ source within the Texas poker scene who wish to remain anonymous claim that Copa did not inform the city they would be operating a poker room upon applying for a business license.

Copa Club, which has 13 card tables, is far from the only poker room in the state police have raided in recent years. The Watuga Social Lounge Poker Club in Dallas was raided during a $100,000 guaranteed tournament, one of many such raids in the Lone Star State.

PokerNews has reached out to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department for comment but has yet to receive a response. It’s unclear at this time if anyone was arrested or if charges have been filed. But photos taken from the scene indicate deputies removed poker tables from the establishment.

This is a developing story. PokerNews will update this page as further developments arise.

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