Details continue to emerge regarding the raid on Monday at the Copa Club, a social-poker club in Westlake, Texas, a northern suburb of Fort Worth. Two people were arrested during the raid, with poker tables and other gambling equipment being seized, along with $4,000 in cash.
The two men arrested were Mark Hulme, 66, of Coppell, and Scott Whittington, 53, of Ponder. Both were charged wth promotion of gambling and engaging in organized crime. In a Thursday hearing, Hulme's bond was set at $2,250, while Whittington’s bond was set at $1,500.
The 13-table room remains 'temporarily closed' following the raid by Tarrant County officers, which followed a month-long undercover investigation. Additional arrests may follow, according to a statement from the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office.
Second club in suburban Fort Worth to be raided
The raid on the Copa Club is the second such raid on a social-poker room in Fort Worth's northern suburbs in the past 17 months. In October of 2022, the Watauga Social Club, about 20 minutes to the south of the Copa Club, was raided, and everyone present was arrested, including all the players. This time, the players were not arrested.
Though both clubs' operations were targeted under the headline of 'illegal gambling activity', some differences exist. The Watauga operation included some public controversy over the poker games' operations, with a player who had been bounced from the club claiming it charged hidden rake, which would have violated Texas gaming laws.
In the Copa Club matter, rumors quickly circulated that the room's business records, filed with local and state authorities, omitted the fact that the venue would be used as a social poker club. The results of a records search done by one player, who then posted the results on Copa Club's Instagram page, appear to bear that out.
A 2022 state filing regarding the venue's renovation only notes that the renovation was for the "Tenant finish-out of a restaurant space." Before becoming the Copa Club, the facility had operated as a restaurant under multiple names.
