Dusk Till Dawn Poker Club

Dusk Till Dawn becomes Britain's first poker only club to win a Certificate of Consent from the UK Gambling Commission

16th February

At 5pm yesterday the UK Gambling Commission granted Dusk Till Dawn (DTD) Ltd permission to operate a poker club, making it the country's first ever legal card room and the largest in Europe.

Rob Yong, MD of DTD, commented: "I would like to sincerely thank the UK Gambling Commission for their fairness and the wonderful support of the poker community these past 18 months which has played a big part in this victory today."

Although Dusk Till Dawn will be a "poker only" dedicated venue offering no other table games, it will operate to the same high standards that the Gambling Commission expect of all UK casinos under the 1968 Act and the forthcoming 2005 Act, due to be implemented from 1st September 2007.

Today, Dusk Till Dawn will submit its application to Nottingham council for the April 2007 hearing held at Nottingham Magistrates Court.

There it will be assessed if, 'there is an acceptable level of demand for a poker club.' However, it should also be noted that even if demand is not proven, the court still has the powers of discretion to grant permission to operate.

With over 3000 people having already applied for membership of Dusk Till Dawn, as well as the dramatic growth in the overall popularity of poker across the UK and Europe, there is little doubt that demand will be proven; however, the impact of any third parties claiming "material loss" if Dusk Till Dawn opens, could still be a mitigating factor.

Paul Zimbler, marketing director at DTD, says: "We're now at the last stage of the long process of opening a poker club and it's still not a formality that the club will be successful - objections by local casinos at the Magistrates Court could cause further delays.

"However, gaining the Gambling Commission's blessing was absolutely crucial and the most important stage of the process. We are proud that a small operation like Dusk Till Dawn has managed to pass this most critical of stages."

The club is in the final weeks of refurbishment, staff have been recruited and trained, systems have been tested and even the opening night has been planned. However, despite our eagerness to offer poker outside of the traditional casino environment, a firm opening date will not be announced until the Magistrates Court hearing has been successful.

Visit DTD Poker for more details.