Dallas poker raids fail to curb illegal games

A large-scale raid on poker games in Dallas has done little to stop backroom gambling, and local police are now struggling to put an end to the illicit activity.

Deputy Chief of Dallas Police Julian Bernal told a local CBS station that, despite the high-profile November raid, the department doesn't have the manpower to wipe out illegal poker in the city.

"I think that gambling is going to continue as long as people want to do that, but the Dallas Police Department is going to enforce it as long as it's illegal," said Bernal.

Meanwhile, the county's commissioner is throwing his support behind legalizing and regulating the gaming. Poker players will just drive out of the city to find games and Dallas would do well to collect revenue from the activity, said John Wiley Price.

"That's probably not a really popular position, but I think at some point and time we've got to deal with the reality of what's going on," he said.

"Let's go ahead and open up the gates and see if we can't catch some of this revenue fish."

Dallas poker players, meanwhile, say that forcing the games underground creates still more illegal activity, such as game robberies.

"They need to be out of sight, making them easier targets," one player said.

courtesy of Erin Warner

News Added: 18 February, 2007

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