The Williamson County District Attorney has until April 9, 2026 to file a civil forfeiture claim against the Lodge Card Club’s seized assets or return them. That is the hard 30-day deadline under Texas law.
It is the first concrete inflection point in a case that has produced no charges, no arrests, and no resolution since the March 10 TABC raid.
Lodge co-owner and poker entrepreneur Doug Polk broke a three-week silence on March 31 with a 22-minute YouTube video. He revealed the April 9 date, pledged to personally cover seven figures in player liabilities, and called the TABC investigation a “witch hunt.”
The Lodge’s Austin-area location remains closed. All 200+ staff have been laid off. No formal charges have been filed against anyone. For the roughly 82 poker rooms operating across Texas under the same legal model, what happens on April 9 matters far beyond one card room.
What Polk Said in His First Video Since the Raid
Polk’s March 31 video was his first public statement since attorneys silenced him after the March 10 raid on Texas’s largest poker room. The 22-minute recording combined legal argument, emotional appeal, and pointed criticism of how Texas enforces its gambling laws.
His most significant revelation was the deadline itself. Polk told viewers that April 9 is the date by which authorities must either file for civil forfeiture or release the seized assets. He noted that filings in these cases typically come close to the deadline.
Key context: Civil forfeiture is a lawsuit against the property itself, not against Polk or the Lodge’s owners personally. The state does not need a criminal conviction to keep the assets. It only needs to show, on the balance of probabilities, that the property was connected to criminal activity.
On player funds, Polk was direct. He stated he is taking on seven figures in personal liability to make players whole, not because he is legally obligated but because he wants to. He also acknowledged the timeline for reimbursements is unknown and could stretch from weeks to years.
“If The Lodge does not make these people whole, I will.”
Polk defended the Lodge’s business model under Texas Penal Code Section 47.04, arguing the club generates revenue through membership and seat fees rather than rake. He framed the money laundering allegations as a legal technicality.
His argument: if the state considers the gambling illegal, then every associated financial transaction becomes money laundering by definition.
He also addressed the wire transfers flagged in the the search warrant detailing $1.35M in deposits. Polk explained the Lodge offers wire transfers so players do not have to carry large amounts of cash. He said there was nothing suspicious about the practice.
Selective Enforcement and Houston’s Open Rooms
Perhaps most forcefully, Polk pointed at Houston poker rooms that he claimed operate “openly” with traditional rake and face no prosecution. He described the Lodge as one of the most compliant clubs in Texas.
He clarified a point of confusion: he is a shareholder, not the day-to-day operator. He expressed frustration that 200+ employees lost their jobs while the investigation remains open-ended. On the San Antonio location remaining open, he cited this as evidence the probe is state-level rather than federal.
What Texas Law Requires by April 9
The legal mechanism is Chapter 59 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, which governs civil asset forfeiture. Article 59.04(a) states that if property is seized, the attorney representing the state must commence proceedings no later than the 30th day after seizure.
The language uses “shall,” which Texas courts have consistently interpreted as mandatory. The statute contains no provision for extending the deadline.
- Who files: the Williamson County District Attorney (26th Judicial District), not TABC. TABC agents execute seizures; the DA's office handles all forfeiture filings.
- What gets filed: a Notice of Seizure and Intended Forfeiture with the Williamson County District Court, accompanied by a sworn statement from the seizing officer.
- Burden of proof: preponderance of the evidence (the 'more likely than not' standard), not beyond reasonable doubt. No criminal conviction is required.
- What is at stake: approximately $721,000 in seized bank funds, plus any physical items taken during the March 10 raid.
Three Scenarios for April 9
Scenario 1: The DA files a forfeiture claim. This is the most likely outcome given the DA’s office has already told Lodge attorneys it believes the business model violates Texas law. Filing triggers a lengthy civil process: the Lodge gets 20 days to respond, then the case enters discovery.
The Lodge’s strongest defence is the social gambling provision in Section 47.04. Civil forfeiture cases can run for months or years.
Scenario 2: The DA does not file. The state’s authority to hold assets under Chapter 59 lapses. The Lodge could petition for return of all seized funds and unfreezing of accounts. This would not prevent separate criminal charges, an IRS investigation, or TABC administrative action against the Lodge’s liquor permit.
Scenario 3: Federal adoption. Because the IRS participated in the March 10 raid, federal authorities could theoretically adopt the state seizure under federal civil forfeiture law, which operates on different timelines. The IRS’s involvement is the biggest unanswered variable in this case.
The Lodge’s Current Status
The Round Rock location remains closed with all assets frozen since the raid. Co-owner Jason Levin emailed staff around March 24 confirming the shutdown, explaining the DA’s office had made clear it considers the Lodge’s model non-compliant with Texas law.
All bank accounts remain frozen. No player reimbursements have been processed. Outstanding liabilities include cash game chip balances, tournament payouts, and pending wire transfers. The $203,990 Lodge Championship Series Main Event first prize won by Wayne Harmon roughly 16 hours before the raid may still be unresolved.
San Antonio update: The Lodge’s second location continues operating normally. It was not raided and has not been targeted by any enforcement action. Polk cited its continued operation as evidence against a federal investigation theory.
A GoFundMe for displaced Lodge employees had raised $32,000 toward a $50,000 goal as of March 31. Polk donated $10,000 and co-owner Brad Owen contributed $5,000. Owen, Andrew Neeme, investors Nik Airball and Ethan “Rampage” Yau have all remained largely silent, likely on legal advice.
The investigation traces back to summer 2024, when TABC Agent Douglas Bell received a confidential report of suspicious financial activity. Undercover agents played $1/$2 NL Hold’em at the Lodge at least six times between April 2025 and January 2026 before the raid was executed.
Polk’s initial statement denying the allegations came six days after the raid, before attorneys advised him to stop speaking publicly. His March 31 video broke that three-week silence.
Why This Matters for All 82 Texas Poker Rooms
Texas has no gaming commission. Its poker rooms operate under a defence provision in Texas Penal Code Section 47.02(b) that exempts gambling in a private place where nobody receives economic benefit beyond personal winnings.
Rooms charge seat fees (typically $10 to $15 per hour) and membership dues instead of traditional pot rake.
Whether that model is legal has never been definitively settled. The Texas Supreme Court declined to hear the Dallas Texas Card House appeal in September 2025, leaving the question unresolved at the highest judicial level.
The enforcement record across the state is a coin flip. Houston’s rooms reopened after 2019 raids when all charges were dropped. The Watauga Social Lounge near Dallas never recovered from its 2022 raid, with the owner forfeiting $170,030 in a plea deal.
The Lodge case differs from all prior actions in one critical way: the involvement of the IRS and TABC’s Financial Crimes Unit, with allegations centred on money laundering rather than straightforward gambling charges.
- Houston, 2019: Post Oak and Prime Social raided. Nine arrested, $10M frozen. All charges dropped within two months. Both rooms reopened.
- Dallas, 2022-2025: Texas Card House fought a three-year legal battle. Won at the appeals court. Texas Supreme Court declined to hear the city's case.
- Watauga, 2022: Social Lounge raided mid-tournament. Owner forfeited $170,030. Room never reopened.
- The Lodge, March 2026: first Texas case to involve the IRS alongside state regulators, with money laundering as the lead allegation.
Legislatively, Texas poker remains frozen. Two competing 2025 bills died without advancing: HB 2996 (pro-poker, Rep. Ryan Guillen) and HB 2154 (anti-poker, Rep. Matt Shaheen). The Texas Legislature only meets in odd-numbered years. The next session starts in January 2027, meaning no legislative fix is possible before then.
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What to Watch Next
April 9 is not the end of this story. It is the first moment where the state’s hand becomes visible.
- April 9 filing: if the Williamson County DA files for forfeiture, the Lodge's legal team has 20 days to respond. Civil litigation could run for months or years.
- IRS involvement: federal adoption of the seizure would change the entire legal landscape. No public indication of whether this is being pursued.
- Player reimbursements: Polk's seven-figure personal guarantee is contingent on the investigation concluding. No timeline has been given.
- Spillover to other rooms: 82 Texas poker rooms operate under identical legal logic. A successful forfeiture against the Lodge would set a precedent that every one of them has to take seriously.
- 2027 legislature: whatever happens on April 9 becomes Exhibit A when Texas lawmakers revisit the poker question in January 2027.
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