The "Broadway Club" in Manhattan was raided by police on Friday night. Thirteen employees were arrested and $56,000 was seized.
The poker parlor consisted of a large room with six tables and a glassed-in private room for high-stakes or private games, the patrons said. Players could order takeout food, and some days, the owner provided free foods. Several plasma television screens lined the walls, and players who wanted to smoke cigarettes had to do so in a separate room, they said. Alcohol was prohibited. A cashier sat in a small office with a window, selling poker chips.
Prosecutors have said that it is not illegal to play poker for money in New York State, only to profit from promoting it. The Broadway Club charged players for every half hour of poker, between $3 and $8, the patrons said. Some poker club owners have argued that they simply rent space to players and do not profit from money bet. In this way, they say, the clubs resemble billiard halls. The police said that even the rental fees that clubs charge were illegal and seen as promoting gambling.
Broadway Club raided by NYC police
