Zoning Board Recommends Folding on Dallas Poker Rooms
Share News:
Some city leaders continue to push for Dallas poker rooms to operate legally within the city limits, but there doesn’t appear to be a quick and easy fix.
District 1 Councilman Chad West led the charge last year, asking city staff to create a land use category that would allow the facilities to operate legally “in some capacity” while the Texas Legislature works through legalization measures.
Frequent briefings were held before Dallas City Council’s Government Performance and Financial Management Committee, which West chairs, and a proposal was heard by the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee earlier this month.
The proposal, according to this six-page case report, was to amend the city’s development code to allow a private game club under “Recreation and Entertainment Uses.”
ZOAC members balked and sent their denial recommendation to the City Plan Commission for consideration.
Developer Nathaniel Barrett, a ZOAC member, explained why the advisory board, a subcommittee of the CPC, voted the way it did.
“The new land use category proposed at ZOAC was so weird and restrictive it basically made it impossible to operate a poker house,” he said on social media.
Know When to Fold ‘Em?
Dallas has had a rough history with poker rooms. In 2020, the city allowed “card rooms” but later reversed the decision upon the advice of then-City Attorney Chris Caso, saying the facility wasn’t compliant with state law. Litigation related to that case is ongoing, according to city documents.
In a March 11 editorial, the Dallas Morning News suggested that policymakers ought to “know when to fold ‘em.”
“We hope the City Plan Commission also recommends against adopting the proposal, but even if they do, it’s ultimately up to city council members,” the editorial states. “They should take Kenny Rogers’ advice and ‘know when to fold ‘em.’”
The city has already spent at least $550,000 on legal fees related to Dallas poker rooms.
Staff recommended approval of several code amendments, suggesting that the changes “are intended to provide a path to allow private game clubs to operate by specific use permit and in a capacity that complies with state law,” per the case report.
