NY Poker Ring Raided, Charged Yet Still Dealing

Underground poker club carries on despite legal troubles.

Wendy’s Club, an underground poker club operated out of Midtown Manhattan, couldn’t care less that an undercover cop infiltrated their ranks which led to a raid, the seizure of thousands of dollars and 6 arrests for drug possession this past September – they plan to keep on dealing.

According to DNAinfo New York, Jason, the club owner/operator says they are rolling in too much cash to let something like “the law” keep them down.

“The reward is much greater than the risk,” Jason (last name not given) said. “If I get arrested, it’s not going to bother me because they’ll just charge me with promotion of gambling and it will be charged as a misdemeanor.”

Not only do the operators of Wendy’s Club admit that poker in New York is illegal but the cops found drugs during their raid too – 1lb. of weed and 5 plastic bags of cocaine. Still the punishment for the profit is not steep enough to stop them.

The city though hopes that when the case is taken to court, it will receive a healthy $1k for every day that the “business” was in operation, perhaps deterring the club to keep operating.

The underground club is one of a few promoted by website MySocialPoker.com where players in the New York area can find underground poker rooms in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

New York reg Christopher Fleming says that while he was among those arrested, he will continue to keep playing.

“This is a very mouth to mouth, underground operation,” Fleming said. “The only other place to play is Atlantic City, and that’s two hours away.”

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call the Virginia Council on Problem Gambling (VACPG) helpline at 1-888-532-3500
published 10 years ago • by permalink

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