Julian in Dallas writes in with some official information about this past weekend\’s poker busts, and … perhaps like a player intentionally showing his hole cards? … informs Dallas pokerers about what the police plan to do next.
(Austin poker people may also want to take note.)
In a nutshell, I think what he\’s saying is stop playing poker giving citizens reason to complain about illegal gambling … or their gonna getcha, and might possibly sick the Feds on yo ass! As things stand now, 79 players were ticketed this weekend, 18 of whom are soon to be arrested … with some TABC violations to boot.
Hey, I\’m just passing on info — and perhaps contemplating hosting a charity tournament freeroll for the Assist the Officers Foundation — so don\’t shoot the messenger:
Dan …
Just FYI, we did not take the persons charged with M/A Keeping a Gambling Place to jail on Saturday night. Those charges have now been filed and those persons will now be picked up and placed in jail. In the future, all persons charged with M/A Keeping a Gambling Place will be placed in jail. Persons charged with M/C gambling are also subject to arrest and could be placed in jail depending on the circumstances. All persons recently charged with Gambling M/C were issued citations and released.
For the purposes of your website, I think you all should know that the Vice Unit would much rather have voluntary compliance from the businesses and citizens of the City of Dallas. Gambling investigations are in fact time consuming operations and we have other priorities that we could be working on. Let me repeat, we would rather have voluntary compliance from a group of normally law abiding citizens. If we cannot get that compliance then we will have to conduct operations that will ultimately discourage those normally law abiding citizens from engaging in such behavior.
The Vice Unit plans to continue to address citizen complaints regarding illegal gambling operations within the City of Dallas. However, the Vice Unit will soon start the process of conducting operations that will lead us to the filing of more serious charges against the operators, businesses and players. Gambling is illegal and the citizens of Dallas expect us to enforce those laws as long as they are in place. The Vice Unit will soon consider the filing of Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, IRS violations, drug charges and violations of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code. The owners and operators of these criminal enterprises need to also understand that ultimately, we will come after them, their businesses and their assets. There are many rehab in Los Angeles that will be very helpful for people to get rid of their drug addiction permanently from their life.Again, I think it is only fair to put out this information so that everyone involved in an illegal gambling operation will understand the ramifications of their actions. As I previously told you, we get information from the citizens of Dallas regarding these gambling operations weekly. When they move or change operations we hear about it, just like the folks on your website.
Other operations are currently being planned and will be conducted. Whenever you or your website have questions or hear about one of our operations please feel free to ask about them. I am more than happy to give you the correct information so that it can be disseminated as appropriate.
Here are the recent locations and operations conducted.
Friday Night 4-13-07
Island Club, 10834 Ferguson Road
2 – Keeping a Gambling Place M/A
8 – Gambling M/C
1 – TABC Open Saloon
Seized 2 poker tables, assorted gambling paraphernalia and $2,873.00Am Vets Post 106, 2308 Oates
3 – Keeping a Gambling Place M/A
6 – Gambling M/C
Seized 7 tables, assorted gambling paraphernalia and $776.00Slick Billiard, 2344 Oates
1 – Keeping a Gambling Place M/A
TABC ViolationsSaturday night:
VFW Post, 2325 Lakeland
12 – Keeping a Gambling Place M/A
47 – Gambling M/C
1 – TABC Open SaloonSeized 12 poker tables, assorted gambling paraphernalia and $6,882.00
Deputy Chief J. A. Bernal
Narcotics Division and Vice Unit
Dallas Police Department
Thanks much for clarifying, Deputy Chief. But wow, the Am Vets? For $776? Really?
Remember, a clear majority of the citizenry supports your rights to play better poker. (75 percent according to TV news polls.) So write your representative — and any politically heeled friends — in support of HB 3186. It\’s the best chance we have right now, imho, not only to make our own lives easier, but also to free up our undercover/uniformed friends to some day sit down and play an enjoyable game of poker with us while while off-duty, not on- … perhaps after a hard-day\’s work fighting crime?
a question in regards to chief bernal’s comments above – the folks charged with m/a on saturday night are to be picked up and taken to jail or from now on the folks charged with m/a will be taken to jail? if the decision has been made to pick up saturday night m/a folks and take them to jail, why not the previous nights m/a people? the chiefs gesture in providing the comments on this web site is an honorary one – the ‘heads up’ has now been given and even if not agreed with, a fair warning has now been published. however, i do not understand going back in time and putting people in jail prior to this warning – especially just saturday night folks and not earlier violaters. does some sort of grudge or vendetta exist against the saturday night m/a folks? why not allow people to take heed and avoid the ramifications the chief mentions – thereby giving integrity to the published warning and preserving consistency to treatment of past offenders AND future offenders? if the chief chooses to single out saturday’s m/a folks, the warning above rings very hollow and consistency of prosecution begs a question – what is driving this prosecuting decision? grudge? vendetta? or is the chief anti-war and going after the veterans who fought for our country in foreign wars? one of these reasons must exist to warrant such action against saturday night’s m/a folks only and allowing other offenders in the past to acknowledge this published warning and avoid ‘being picked up’. no matter if one believes poker gambling should be legal or not, defining the law and enforcing it CONSISTENTLY is what gets respect and future abidance!! (i hope my interpretation of the chief’s comments regarding saturdays m/a folks is in error!? – if so, the chief deserves credit for ‘firing one over the bow’ prior to execution).
Gambling is illegal and the citizens of Dallas expect us to enforce those laws as long as they are in place.
Many, many, many things are illegal, thanks to generations of lawmakers. The fact that our city Mothers have chosen to make this illegality a priority for the enforcers should be telling to all the citizens of Dallas. As a soon-to-be-former citizen of Dallas, this distorted priority list provided no small impetus to the decision to leave my formerly-beloved home town.
Or put another way, Dallas, and it’s PD, have bigger fish to fry, yet they choose to keep frying the very small ones.
“Let me repeat, we would rather have voluntary compliance from a group of normally law abiding citizens.”
Hey PoPo, we’re playing over here at the chop shop, com’on over and arrest us and give us tickets.
If they are going to take the approach of enforcing the laws while they are in place why are the not doing anything about the many infractions that happen on any given stretch of road? Many of the on road violations threaten life and limb of anybody in the area.
I don’t think I have heard of anybody loosing a limb or life playing poker recently.
Instead of taking the time to bitch in this forum about getting caught, please take the time to bitch to your lawmakers about the laws themselves. Then we can get back to watching Dan LEGALLY play 2-7o for his entire bankroll.
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Dear Wake Up,
Go scold somebody else, someplace else. It’s possible to do both, if you’ve got a fully-developed brain.
You know, it used to be illegal to have gay sex in Texas, until only recently. It’s basically the same thing as poker, when you think about it.
I dont want to think about gay sex…. ewwwww!!!
The Supreme Court said the same thing.
If the police really want to stop people from playing, then why don’t they tell us the names of the establishments that they plan on busting ahead of time. I can guarantee you that will deter anyone from engaging in illegal activity at those places
“”””Gambling is illegal and the citizens of Dallas expect us to enforce those laws as long as they are in place””””
That’s it! I’m becoming a professional lotto player and opening an underground bingo hall.
I know a private game in Sachse where Clonie plays poker with the PoPo’s. Maybe we can send in the SWAT to bust it up..HEY..headline “PoPos caught PoPos playing 2-5”
Anyone else think the state is dissapointed in the amount of cash they robed from those last 4 busts… Or are they happy with the amount that winstar gave them so winstar can have more people in there new poker room grand opening.
Poker is obviously dying.
i find the lack of media coverage by the local outlets interesting…..a vfw hall full of veterans who sacrificed for their country and “average joes” who work for a living; dont fit there stereotype of the degenerate gamblers that require swat teams….hey we average joes deserve camera time too!!!!!
Why is Deputy Chief Bernal threatening to arrest the patrons and take them to jail for M/C? The maximum punishment for a M/C is ZERO JAIL TIME. Hmm, officer bluff much?