Watauga Social Lounge Poker Club owner Joe Vongkaysone won’t spend time behind bars
Watauga Social Lounge Poker Club owner Joe Vongkaysone has reached a plea agreement to avoid prison 17 months after the cardroom was raided during a $100,000 guaranteed tournament.
Vongkaysone was charged with one count of gambling promotion and one count of engaging in organized crime, with several staff members arrested and players at the Dallas area club forced to pay fines for their involvement in the operation.
Authorities seized cash, receipts, gambling devices and the entire $132,840 prize pool from the Fall Classic tournament during the early-morning raid on October 7, 2022. Last April, the players’ charges and fines were dismissed as Vongkaysone and various employees awaited an outcome in their cases.
The club’s owner said that he “ran out of money to keep fighting” after paying almost $195,000 in legal fees for himself and eight staff members, taking the plea agreement on February 29, in which the state kept the seized funds and Vongkaysone’s charges were dismissed.
According to court records, Vongkaysone must forfeit $170,030 plus interest, where $102,018 will go to the state of Texas and the remaining $68,012 to Tarrant County.
Watauga Social Lounge Poker Club and many other poker rooms in Texas have recently faced legal troubles. Gambling is illegal in Texas, and it’s unlawful to operate traditional poker rooms.
Texas card rooms have been using a loophole to operate using a membership system rather than charging a rake, which is clearly illegal. Texas Penal Code 47.04 states that games must be held in a private place, and the only financial benefit any person can earn is winnings. Also, the risk must be equal for all game participants.
However, authorities disputed that the Watauga club was operating in that manner.
