Scotland Poker Club Raided and Closed

June 21, 2006 - The Cincinnati Club in Glasgow, Scotland's first poker club, was raided by police and gambling authorities and closed this evening. Equipment was seized and people questions but no arrests resulted.

The Cincinnati Club, located on Bridge Street on the southern side of Glasgow, opened in 2005 and became the centre of an illegal gambling investigation. Strathclyde police and Gaming Commission authorities invaded. They removed gambling computer terminals. Dave Colclough, 41 years of age and a professional poker player and former Information Technology Consultant, owned and operated the poker facility.

This poker club hosted poker tournaments every night and represented the very first dedicated poker club in Scotland. A Strathclyde police spokesperson said the confiscation of machines and equipment and the club closing was the result of offences alleged to have been committed that violated the Gaming Act. The spokesperson went on to say that no one was arrested or charged with any crime at the time of the raid, but that numerous people were interviewed and inquiries will continue.

Because the investigation is ongoing, there is no estimate of when or if The Cincinnati Club might reopen. It is also unclear whether the equipment and gaming machines seized will ever be returned to their owners. Charges may yet be filed against one or many of the people involved in the illegal gambling investigation.

The raid on Scotland's first poker club is reminiscent of the January 30, 2006 raid performed by armed police forces that raided the Cavendish Club, Northern Ireland's single poker club. The raid occurred during the middle of a poker tournament and the £23,000 contained in the prize pool was confiscated. During the month following, however, a court judge determined that the money must be returned to the players but that the club was to remain closed indefinitely.

Will Scotland's poker club learn that their equipment and machinery will enjoy the same fate or will it be permanently confiscated? Will arrests be made and charges pressed? If charges are filed, which parties will be charged? Will the club be allowed to reopen? These questions are all up in the air at this time and may not be answered for quite some time.