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 two weeks of public 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.”
At the time, the Lodge's Round Rock location was closed, its staff had been laid off, and no formal charges had been filed against anyone. For the roughly 82 poker rooms operating across Texas under the same legal model, what happened on April 9 mattered far beyond one card room.
Update (September 28, 2026): The state filed its civil forfeiture petition on April 8, one day before the deadline, and dropped the money laundering allegation. On April 28, a Williamson County grand jury declined to indict anyone, the seized assets were released, and the Lodge reopened on May 26. See how the case ended.
What Polk Said in His First Video Since the Raid
Polk's March 31 video was his first detailed public comment since the March 10 raid on Texas's largest poker room, apart from his written statement of March 16. 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 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 was a shareholder, not the day-to-day operator. He expressed frustration that more than 200 employees had lost their jobs while the investigation remained open-ended. On the San Antonio location remaining open, he cited this as evidence the probe was 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: more than $2 million in seized cash and frozen bank funds, plus 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 was the biggest unanswered variable in the case.
What actually happened: scenario 1, with a twist. The state filed on April 8 but dropped the money laundering allegation, and after a grand jury declined to indict anyone on April 28, the seized assets were released.
The Lodge's Status at the Time
The Round Rock location stayed closed with all assets frozen after the raid. Co-owner Jason Levin emailed staff on March 24 confirming the shutdown, explaining the DA's office had made clear it considered the Lodge's model non-compliant with Texas law.
At the time, all bank accounts were frozen and no player reimbursements had been processed. Outstanding liabilities included cash game chip balances, tournament payouts, and pending wire transfers, among them the $204,145 Lodge Championship Series Main Event first prize won by Wayne Harmon roughly 16 hours before the raid.
San Antonio: The Lodge's second location continued operating normally. It was not raided or 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 poker vlogger Ethan “Rampage” Yau had 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 ended that 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 to 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. That allegation was dropped, no one was charged and the room reopened on May 26, 2026.
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.
Online Options for Texas Players
For players who relied on the Lodge or other Texas rooms and also want to play online, two US-facing online poker rooms are worth a look.
ACR Poker
Americas Cardroom accepts US players and runs regular guaranteed tournament series, including the Venom events. Our ACR Poker review with up to 65% rakeback has the current deal.
CoinPoker
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What Happened Next
April 9 turned out to be the start of the endgame. Here is how the case played out after the deadline.
- April 8: the state filed its civil forfeiture petition one day before the deadline and dropped the money laundering allegation.
- April 28: a Williamson County grand jury declined to indict anyone. The seized and frozen assets were released afterwards.
- May 26: the Lodge reopened in Round Rock.
- July 3: Polk said he would remain a shareholder but no longer have any active role at the Lodge.
- 2027 legislature: the Texas Legislature next meets in January 2027, when the poker question may be revisited.
The employee GoFundMe got a late boost on April 29, when vlogger and Lodge co-owner Andrew Neeme confirmed that CoinPoker had made its full donation to the fund.
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