I’m a little surprised that my story from over the weekend about a raid on a gambling house in Hurst is generating so much buzz. Twenty-two comments, at last count, at the bottom of the web story.
To some, it might seem like overkill. A “SWAT team” going in and raiding the place — a house that had been converted into a professional poker operation off Highway 10, also called “Hurst Boulevard.”
Police hauled the 10 organizers and employees to jail and charged them with engaging in organized crime, a felony. The customers got misdemeanor citations, something similar to speeding tickets, and were allowed to leave.
Investigators seized the cards and chips and several large Texas Hold ‘Em tables as evidence. They also recovered about seven thousand dollars in cash.
A victimless crime? Yes and no.
Yes, everyone was there voluntarily. Nobody gets hurt. Police found no drugs or guns in the house.
But no, the argument can be made that the state is the victim. Do you really think the operators paid taxes on their thousands of dollars in profits? Organized gambling, where the house keeps a cut, is against the law.
The debate seems to be whether it really rises to the level of sending in undercover cops and a SWAT team to shut it down. In defense of the police, how else are they going to do it other than simply ignore it? (20-30 cars parked in front of a house every night is hard to ignore.) The cops are just enforcing the law that we as a society passed.
Yes, there are more serious crimes out there. A lot more serious. And police enforce those laws, too.
Think gambling should be legal? Marijuana too? And what about prostitution? Those could also be considered “victimless” crimes. Laws change all the time. Example, prohibition…
So it seems to me that if someone wants to criticize the law, that’s fair game. It’s a lot’s more on target than blasting the cops for doing their jobs.
What do you think?
This is a joke hands down. Swat team went in there just to stop people gambling? Don’t they have anything better to do with their time. Such as catching the real criminals like murderers or people who take place in more serious crimes.
Gordon, so much of your story I can pick apart about the Hurst raid. The words you use strike me a little queer. When you bring up a point and say ( no guns, drugs, or prostituts were found at the house ) Why would you say that. It’s like saying people that play cards must have the above at their card game. So bring on the swat team. If it had been NRH im sure they would have dropped a gun or two and maybe a few players. ( as to Laura Davis son ) Not I or the people I know would play cards if any of that were to be going on.
As for the cops doing their job, thats kewl. I know all to well about following orders. Cops are the front door to your local court house. ( THE LAW ) The court house is your local revolving door for money. Without that revolving door your county and city can’t and wouldn’t fuction.
I have never seen a house take a rake. If ones skill level is good enough to win a hand He ( or she )may, or may not send a tip to a dealer. Now what a dealer does with that tip I have no clue. Nor do I care.
I play this game of skill all over Dallas and Tarrant county. With Doctors, business owners, attorneys, Cops, fire fighters and such.
The bottom line is the State nor the countys can figure out a way to get their cut. So until they do, I guess I’ll still have to break the law. Why, because Im a poker player. I still ponder the idea of turning myself into Hurst police in order to get my citation for being a poker player.
Gordon, guess you did not follow up on this “crime”.
Since you station was “invited” to film this high stakes bust. Did you do the math. 1,000’s of dollars seized from the house bank. “vegas” style setup. well lets just do some math. The house bank is made up of players money. Surely you know how gambling is done. People walk in to Trump towers, give the dealer cash, the dealer gives you chips to play the game with. So if 35 people where ticketed, divided by the 7000 the police say they confiscated. hmmm 7000/35= 200. on average, each person has 200 dollars at risk. thats a tank of gas. what a joke.
There are 20 other games just like that one, in every city in this metroplex. its just silly that cities can have bingo halls, the lions clubs, the VFA games of chance.