We are even now still attempting to figure this story out, because it quite frankly doesn’t make sense. Maybe there is more than meets the eye, but until such time as more information becomes available this is the story in full. Many of you will have heard of The International Private Members Club, which is an incredibly respected and well known London-based poker club. According to several reports the famous venue has just had its license revoked by Hackney Council. Why? Because the poker club was allowing too much gambling to take place. Yes, that is the actual cited reason for the license revocation.
The crazy thing about this ruling is the fact that The International Private Members Club runs some of the most respected poker games in the whole of London, and their original license application made no secret of the fact these tournaments would be taking place. The club has run for many years, but for seemingly no good reason Hackney Council felt the need to intervene. Apparently, despite the fact their license was for “gambling”, because the primary purpose of the club as cited in their application was for poker, anything else (for example slot machines or roulette) is considered a violation of this. The council took almost two full years to reach this decision, and after 18 months of very successful trading the incredibly popular venue has been asked to cease trading.
The ironic fact, however, is that under current UK regulations The International Private Members Club can actually continue to operate and in fact still serve their poker-loving customers whilst the decision is being appealed, a process which can take 12-18 months. So even after this insane level of surrealism over the period of two years, the decision is essentially pointless because it does not have to be obeyed. It’s a story that really makes you think, and hopefully we can bring you the full story when details become available.
