On March 10, 2026, The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, Texas was raided by state and federal authorities. The following is a summary of verified reporting from multiple sources. All sources are listed at the end of this post.

The Raid

Approximately twenty agents from the TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission) Financial Crimes Unit, along with officers from the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office and the IRS, executed a search and seizure warrant at The Lodge Card Club. The raid took place on a Tuesday morning, hours after the Lodge Championship Series Main Event had concluded the night before.

No staff members or players were arrested. Assets were seized and bank accounts were frozen.

The Allegations

The warrant lists the following alleged violations:

Money laundering
Illegal gambling
Engaging in organized criminal activity
Keeping a gambling place
Possession of a gambling device

The Investigation

TABC Agent Douglas Bell initiated the investigation after receiving a confidential report of questionable financial activity associated with The Lodge. The agency requested bank records for The Lodge and its affiliated businesses.

According to the warrant, during the first two months of 2025, approximately $1.35 million was deposited from The Lodge through a Loomis cash vault located inside the club into a bank account held by Tempus Holdings.

Four undercover operations were conducted. TABC agents entered the venue and played sessions of $1/$2 No-Limit Hold’em as part of the investigation. The final undercover session took place on January 30, 2026.

The investigation originated from a public complaint filed on April 3, 2024, which referenced Attorney General Opinion GA-0335 — issued June 20, 2005 by then-AG Greg Abbott. That opinion concluded that a holder of an on-premises alcoholic beverage permit may host a poker tournament only if “participants do not risk money or any other thing of value for the opportunity to win a prize.” When real money is at stake, it violates both Section 47.04(a) of the Penal Code and 16 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §35.31(b)(14).

Why the TABC?

Texas has no gaming commission. There is no state regulatory body for poker and no licensing framework for card rooms. The TABC’s jurisdiction comes from The Lodge’s on-premises alcoholic beverage permit. Under 16 TEX. ADMIN. CODE §35.31(b)(14), a permittee violates the Alcoholic Beverage Code if they allow any gambling offense under Chapter 47 of the Texas Penal Code on the licensed premises. TABC agents are commissioned peace officers with statewide jurisdiction.

Ownership Response

The Lodge is co-owned by Doug Polk, Andrew Neeme, Brad Owen, and Jason Levin. Polk issued a statement denying any participation in or knowledge of money laundering and called the investigation a “witch hunt.” No formal charges have been filed against any member of the ownership group as of this writing.

The Closure

The Lodge closed immediately after the raid and has not reopened. A World Poker Tour event scheduled to begin March 13 was postponed.

On March 25, co-owner Jason Levin emailed all staff informing them they had been laid off. According to Levin, the Williamson County District Attorney’s office communicated to The Lodge’s attorneys that the club’s current business model does not comply with Texas law. Reopening would risk further raids, additional asset seizures, and potential arrests.

The Scale of What’s Gone

The Lodge operated 60+ tables and was the largest card club in Texas — one of the largest poker rooms in the world. Together with TCH Social, Austin had over 110 poker tables between the two rooms. Both venues drew players from across the country and internationally, making Austin a destination for poker. That traffic extended beyond the felt — hotel rooms, restaurants, flights, local spending from visitors who came specifically to play.

Over the next several blog posts, we’re going to dive into what this means for Texas poker — the legal gray area that every card room in the state operates in, what happens to the players and the ecosystem when you lose the biggest room, and what it looks like to build a poker platform with all of this in mind.

Stay salty.

Sources:

Authorities Raid The Lodge Card Club, Texas’ Largest Poker Room — PokerNews
The Lodge Poker Raid: Warrant Reveals Money Laundering Probe — PokerNews
Authorities are Investigating The Lodge Card Club for Alleged Money Laundering — PokerNews
Doug Polk Issues Statement Regarding Money Laundering Investigation — PokerNews
Lodge Card Club Shutting Its Doors; Staff Laid Off — PokerNews
Texas’ Largest Poker Room Shutdown Likely Permanent — Casino.org
TABC Issues Statement After Raid on The Lodge — Poker.org
Is It Truly Private? The Legal Gray Area That Led to The Lodge Raid — PokerNews

The Lodge Got Raided. Here's What We Know.