We have taken legal advice and consulted the UK Gambling Commission for a solution to the six month court adjournment. We totally understand and respect the reasons for the three casino groups lodging their objections at the hearing; they have a duty to protect their businesses from another casino opening in Nottingham. Dusk Till Dawn will be a genuine “poker only” venue but we do need a full casino licence to operate poker legally, even more so under the September 2007 Gambling Act. However, we cannot expect the objectors to believe that we would never take advantage of this licence and operate casino games in the future, despite our assurances to the contrary.In simple terms, we have 4 options
(1) Open the Club and take the risks associated with charging for poker
(2) Open the Club and operate as a Private Members Club and not charge for poker
(3) Open the Club as a bar, restaurant and internet café with no poker activity
(4) Do nothing until after the 24th September hearing
The option we choose must take into account that
(1) Operating outside of the law (or even close to it) could result in the UK Gambling Commission withdrawing our Certificate of Consent
(2) From 1st September poker stakes in a Private Members Clubs will be limited to about £2,000 per week, equivalent to one 100 runner £20 tournament
(3) The UK Gambling Commission will have “powers of enforcement” under the new September 2007 Act, they do not need police cooperation to close a club
(4) Operating any form of poker or even opening our doors before the 24th September could act against us at the magistrates hearing
(5) There are significant additional costs associated with any delay
In light of the above, we have made the following regretful decision
(1) Dusk Till Dawn will open on Friday 5th October 2007 subject to the granting of a license.
(2) The club will be open for 7 days per week, hours to be confirmed
(3) The club will be totally complaint with all of the policies and procedures laid down by the UK Gambling Commission
(4) Entrance to the club will be restricted to individuals that have joined the club via the join club page on www.dusktilldawnpoker.com
(5) The current running costs of Dusk Till Dawn must be reviewed in line with this very disappointing news
(6) London Clubs International, Gala and Stanley’s will be contacted and invited to visit the premises to demonstrate that Dusk Till Dawn is a poker only venue, posing no threat to their casino business
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been backing the Dusk Till Dawn project over the last 2 years including employees, suppliers and poker players. We apologise for our lack of success in delivering our scheduled opening dates.
Robert Yong, Managing Director, Dusk Till Dawn