Are poker rooms legal in Texas? Westlake club remains closed after sheriff’s deputies raid
A Westlake poker club is temporarily closed after a raid by Tarrant County sheriff’s deputies on Thursday, Feb. 27, resulted in the arrest of two employees.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are closed at this time,” Copa Club employees said in an Instagram post. They added that they were “looking forward to re-opening our doors to you very promptly.”
Copa Club, at 63 Tarragona Drive, is a private club that’s only open to members. It features a restaurant, handcrafted cocktails and “professionally-dealt games of Texas Hold’em,” according to its website.
A monthslong investigation by the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office’s Game Room Enforcement Unit led to the discovery of an illegal poker room, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday. In addition to the arrests, deputies seized $4,000 in cash, poker tables and chips from the club.
In response to the Star-Telegram’s questions on Friday, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said that the two men arrested are accused of violating the state’s gambling laws under Texas Penal Code Chapter 47. But the Sheriff’s Office did not specify how poker games at the club allegedly broke the law, saying “that’s part of the investigation.”
No one answered the phone at the club on Friday, and its management could not immediately be reached for comment.
When questioned about the business’ license, Westlake city officials said they were “aware of the police activity at the Copa Club,” and referred the Star-Telegram to the Sheriff’s Office for more information.
According to the website Poker News, Copa Club was the only operating card room in Westlake, and there are few such clubs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area because of strict gambling laws in the state.
Poker games in Texas seem to fall into a gray area of the law. Playing and betting for money at any game of cards is illegal, according to the Texas State Law Library. Games held in private places where everyone has an equal chance of winning or losing and the only economic benefit is personal winnings are an exception to this.
According to Poker News, card rooms in Texas try to fit under these exceptions by charging membership and seat fees instead of taking a percentage of the pot, or a “rake.” But some critics say that such businesses exploit a legal loophole, and law enforcement in parts of the state have tried to shut down the clubs, according to sources cited by the law library.
The raid at the Copa Club was greeted with dismay online.
“Back up 35 to Winstar I go,” one man posted on social media. “It was so nice driving 15 minutes to Copa for a few weeks though.”
“That’s the last time I buy an annual membership,” another man commented.
“Such a shame that some municipalities have no idea of the grey area of the gambling law in Texas and it leads to things like this,” another person posted. “Texas should legitimize the industry through legislation and regulation.”
Tarrant County Jail records identify the two people arrested at the club Thursday as Mark Hulme, 66, of Coppell, and Scott Whittington, 53, of Ponder. Both men face charges of engaging in organized criminal activity and gambling promotion.
Hulme was being held Friday afternoon on a $2,250 bond, according to court records. It’s not clear if he has an attorney. Hulme was listed as the director of guest experience at the club in a 2023 article by CultureMap Dallas.
Whittington’s bond was set at $1,500. He’s listed as the floor supervisor at Copa Club on his social media profile. His attorney did not immediately return a request for comment.
