PokerNews has obtained the search and seizure warrant leading to the raid of The Lodge Poker Club in Texas, and it’s packed with financial transactions the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) deems to be suspicious.
The 22-page affidavit outlines the process the TABC took to investigate the largest poker room in the Lone Star State, beginning in June 2024. Accusations against The Lodge Card Club are as follows:
The affidavit has revealed the following five accounts that are alleged to be in violation of the laws of the State of Texas:
Texas Penal Code 71.02(a) - ENGAGING IN ORGANIZED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
Texas Penal Code 34.02 - MONEY LAUNDERING
Texas Penal Code 47.03 - PROMOTION OF GAMBLING
Texas Penal Code 47.04 - KEEPING A GAMBLING PLACE
Texas Penal Code 47.06 - POSSESSION OF GAMBLING DEVICE, EQUIPMENT OR PARAPHERNALIA
Large Deposits Lead to Money Laundering Suspicion?
Agent Douglas Bell with the TABC, upon receiving a "confidential report of some questionable financial activity" associated with The Lodge Card Club, which is co-owned by high-profile poker players Doug Polk, Andrew Neeme, and Brad Owen, among many other investors, began to investigate. That investigation process started with Bell discovering the TABC had granted the business a liquor license.
On June 13, Agent Bell started observing the Round Rock, Texas poker club from the exterior. He then, apparently based on that confidential info, began requesting bank records of The Lodge Card Club and its affiliated businesses. Bank records were received by the end of August 2024, and the TABC then analyzed the various transactions, many of which were presented in the affidavit.
Investigators noted that, during the first two months of 2025, approximately $1.35 million was deposited from The Lodge through the Loomis cash vault, located inside the club, into a bank account held by Tempus Holdings, Inc., a business associated with The Lodge Card Club.
"The above listed transactions are believed to be in support of, and constitute evidence of the illegal activity taking place at the Lodge Card Club," the search warrant reads.
Polk, Jake Abdalla, and Jason Levin, the three main stakeholders in The Lodge, are listed as signers on a sweeps business bank account, which is used to move money automatically into a higher-interest account. Approximately $808,000 worth of transfers from a Tempus Holdings account to the sweeps account were made between January 1 and February 28, 2025.
Investigators Play Poker on Lodge Visits
On April 17, 2025, the TABC began an undercover investigation into The Lodge, which included multiple trips with multiple agents playing poker. Agents were given $600 each to play some cards on the first trip. Agent Teague purchased $200 worth of chips, while Agent Alfaro bought in for $100, both playing a $1/$2 no-limit hold'em cash game.
Each undercover agent meticulously noted the chips purchased, the beverages ordered while playing, whether security guards were present, and how much they won or lost during each session. A second undercover operation took place on May 9, 2025.
Four additional undercover poker-playing operations took place, the last one on Jan. 30, 2026. During the final session, Agent Teague inquired with a manager about hosting a private poker game at The Lodge.
Attempt to Prove Illegal Gambling?
Gambling is illegal in the Lone Star State, but Texas Penal Code 47.04 lends for the possibility of legal poker so long as no rake is collected. That leaves the card rooms such as The Lodge and Texas Card House, the two largest poker brands in the state, forced to operate differently than traditional brick-and-mortar poker rooms found in most states.
Instead of taking rake, these rooms charge membership and seat fees. But The Lodge Card Club, along with money laundering suspicion, is also under investigation for illegal gambling. The undercover agents made note of the membership process required to play at The Lodge.
Agent Teague, upon leaving the club, informed other TABC agents that "he was never asked about providing proof of, or the need to purchase a membership while inside the club," the affidavit reads. However, it was also noted that other agents were informed they must purchase a membership when they entered a game.
Kerstetter, Petrangelo Among Lodge Co-Investors
The warrant also revealed details about Tempus Holding Inc.'s shareholders, which provide some insight into Polk's investor team that purchased The Lodge back in 2022. Polk, Abdalla, and Levin are listed as the combined majority shareholders, owning 63.3% of the company between them.
The other 18 named investors each hold stakes under 7%, including poker vloggers Owen and Neeme, who are most commonly associated with The Lodge's ownership in the past. The warrant also lists notable poker players and content creators such as Jamie Kerstetter, Nick Petrangelo, Ryan Fee, Jaman Burton, and Polk's long-time editor Thomas "SrslySirius" Keeling as co-investors in the card room.
Fee and Petrangelo also collaborated with Polk on the poker training site Upswing Poker, which was sold in August 2025 to online sweepstakes poker site ClubWPT Gold for an undisclosed amount. None of the minority shareholders mentioned appear to be a target in the TABC's investigation.
What's Next for The Lodge?
One week following the raid and charges still haven't been filed. It's unclear if that will change in the coming days. But another Texas poker room, The Lodge Card Club in Austin remains closed, and it's to be determined when or if it will reopen. The Lodge Card Club in San Antonio, however, is still in operation.
Polk released a statement on Monday. He said, "I did not participate in, and still have no knowledge of, any money laundering in the operation of the Lodge."
source:
https://www.pokernews.com/news/2026/03/the-lodge-poker-club-raid-search-warrant-poker-50836.htm
