Amateur Poker Tour Offices are Raided by the Government!

As if the war on gambling hasn’t already become ridiculous enough, I just read where the fine folks at the Colorado Bureau of Investigations raided the offices of the Amateur Poker Tour, which are located in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. No arrests were made, but records and member lists were confiscated.

This all stems from an investigation over whether or not the company is running an illegal gambling operation. The APT hosts Texas Hold’em tournaments and other games in bars and restaurants throughout the Denver metropolitan area. They also have a VIP player membership where people pay $199 in order to be eligible for special tournaments and bigger prizes. The latter seems to be what has caused the feds to take an interest.

CBI agent Ralph Gagliardi was quoted in the Denver post saying, “There are a number of poker operators that are legitimate in the state. Players can join a game for free and are given chips for free. At the end of the game, the winner can trade chips in for prizes, including cash, which might come from the operator. When a host or organizer charges any kind of fee for participation, Colorado law defines the game as illegal.”

The APT has 2,250 members, and 250 of those are “Gold Card” members who play in the exclusive tournaments with prize pools as high as $10,000. In addition to the membership costs, the bars and restaurants pay the APT in the hopes of increasing their business by pulling in poker enthusiasts. The APT gets $300 per quarter and $50 per table per night to host the games.

Despite the raid, the APT is continuing to operate. They even have a $500 buy-in tournament on May 4th at Binion’s in Las Vegas. According to their website, however, they are reassessing their VIP program and member benefits.

Ironically, their website states that, “We keep hearing how, ‘The APT is so fun, it’s hard to believe it’s legal.’”

Amateur Poker Tour Offices are Raided by the Government!