08:11
01 Oct

On September 11, 2023, Gwinnett County police arrested 18 people and are searching for three more suspects after a suspected illegal gambling operation was busted at an Atlanta bar. The police raided the bar and arrested 5 employees on charges of commercial gambling and 13 customers on gambling charges.

Three Suspects at Large

Police said they found $50,000 in cash at the Royal Flush Bar and Grill amongst various gambling paraphernalia.

The police are still looking for the three owners of the business, 56-year-old Michael Kim, 52-year-old Ingram Boykins, and 56-year-old Robert Utes.

Illegal gambling is a serious crime in the state of Georgia that can result in huge fines and jail time. In Georgia, commercial gambling is a felony offence that can result in up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000.

The Royal Flush Bar and Grill rented out space to a nonprofit organisation which ran small stakes games that adhered to Georgia’s strict laws. Players paid a $20 charge to sit and play for real money using a workaround under a piece of legislation that covers raffles.

The key argument that will no doubt come out on court is that they are saying poker is not a game of skill, rather a game of chance. Therefore the players sit and hope to get lucky and skill has nothing to do with it.

The same legal workaround was tried back in June 2022 when Little Kings and Queens charity found itself up against serious felony charges. PokerNews reported that a Royal Flush representative spoke to them and was told that they did things according to the book and that the raffle model is legal.