The SA Card House in San Antonio, above. It is one of several businesses recently targeted by the crusading anti-gambling attorney Mark Lavery. (Image: SA Card House)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe plaintiff, Chicago-based lawyer Mark Lavery, has a history of litigating against legally gray gambling operations. He has now filed multiple civil suits against several live poker businesses in the area, including the SA Card House in San Antonio, reports The San Antonio Express-News.<\/em><\/p>\nUntil relatively recently, the only venue where you could play Texas hold\u2019em legally in Texas was the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino, close to the Rio Grande border with Mexico.<\/strong><\/p>\nBut since 2016, several dozen poker rooms have sprung up across the state \u2014 in Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Lubbock, and elsewhere. They rely on a gray area in Chapter 47 of the Texas Penal Code. This states it is \u201ca defense to prosecution\u201d if \u201cthe actor engaged in gambling in a private place.\u201d<\/p>\n
The card rooms argue they are private clubs. They say they don\u2019t profit from the game directly because they charge entry fees rather than taking a rake from the pot.<\/p>\n
They also say they offer secure and social environments for Texas residents to pursue a popular pastime, which would otherwise be driven underground. Many have received approval to operate from local officials and pay their taxes.<\/p>\n