11:55 AM CDT on Tuesday, June 20, 2006

By BYRON HARRIS / WFAA-TV

WFAA

Players at a local underground casino.

DALLAS -- If you hadn't noticed, gambling is now a sport. With Texas Hold'em as a major selling point, card games now have treasured spots on sports networks. And illegal gambling is a growing crime.

A friendly game of poker with baloney sandwiches on the side is now a business. Casinos run by entrepreneurs are proliferating. If they make money - they're illegal. And that's what they're doing.

The drama of an underground casino poker in Dallas County: This is a business where chips are sold, alcohol is served, a kitchen prepares a full meal, and the house takes a cut of the pot. That means the game is illegal under Texas law.

We watched with our News 8 undercover camera from a players seat, as players, many of them very young, placed their bets. We saw money bet, pots won, and winnings paid out. Whose pockets it all ended up in wasn't clear.

This place, called Top Shelf Unlimited, straddles the border between Dallas and Garland. Like many of its competitors, this mini casino is in an industrial park. It goes unnoticed because the games don't start until 7 p.m.

The neighboring businesses are closed for the day. Police often find out about undergound casinos almost by accident.

“Usually it's somebody getting mad at the person that's running the game, and it can be for a variety of reasons. That's usually how we find out about narcotics. One person will get mad at another, and we get a call, and we go investigate,” said Officer Joe Harn of the Garland Police.

In a nondescript industrial park in Dallas, this unmarked address on Walnut Ridge in Dallas blends right in. But there's a telltale security camera, a buzzer, and a guard at the door. It has the mystique of a prohibition speakeasy.

Inside, heads look up from the tables as regular players notice a stranger in their midst. Plasma monitors on the wall - and what appear to be a bar and kitchen, indicate this is a permanent business.

On the net the place is identified as a club. Recent winners are listed - and their "point" totals published.

There's little question this is a big money game.

Gambling like this is illegal in Texas. When police discover it here - they shut it down. If liquor is being served, alcohol laws could be being violated too. And, with Texas Hold'em, there's a new element.

“I think we do see a rise in the younger people gambling, playing cards because of Texas Hold EM,” said Officer Harn.

In the parlors we visited, we couldn't tell how much, if any, money was going to the house. However, some of the clientele were not old enough to legally drink or gamble even in states where casinos are legal. For some people gambling can be an addiction, and for these younger players, illegal casinos could be an entry into a devastating habit.