The Texas Supreme Court has declined the City of Dallas’s request to review an appeal concerning the Texas Card House, allowing the poker room to remain operational and potentially concluding a costly legal dispute.
Initially granted a permit by the city’s building inspection head in 2020, Texas Card House later faced allegations of illegal gambling activities, leading to the revocation of its occupancy certificate in 2021.
Gambling is generally prohibited in Texas unless conducted privately without monetary gain for anyone except personal winnings, conditions that Texas Card House’s lawyers assert they meet.
After the Dallas Board of Adjustment reversed the revocation decision, the building official sued the board, claiming illegal overruling. However, the appellate court ruled that there was insufficient consideration of the board’s decision in the trial court, and the high court’s refusal to review leaves the appellate court’s decision intact, reinstating Texas Card House’s operating permits.
With significant attorney fees already incurred, city officials Chad West and Omar Narvaez opposed continued spending and the possibility of revenue loss from closing poker houses, suggesting legal operation avenues via a new ordinance.