Dusk Till Dawn Issues Statement on its FutureUK’s Only Dedicated Poker Club Says “No Chance” of Closure in Near Future |
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Dusk Till Dawn, the UK’s first and only dedicated legal poker 
club, has been forced to issue a statement regarding its future after a local newspaper published a story saying it was “highly likely” the club would be closing imminently.
The story broke after Dusk Till Dawn hosted the first of three major guaranteed tournaments this year, a £250,000 guaranteed event, which attracted 194 players resulting in a £56,000 overlay.
Rob Yong, a shareholder in the business, issued the following statement in the wake of much media and subsequent employee and player speculation on the future of the club.
“Dear DTD Employees and Members,
Following on from some recent speculation, rumour and misquotes, I would like to make it absolutely crystal clear that there is no chance of us closing in the near future, or trading unlicensed to avoid paying higher taxes.
In reality, closing the doors would probably never happen, as a number of companies have registered an interest to acquire us, should we ever feel that the “struggle” gets too much!
When we chose to take the legal route by applying for a full casino license, we budgeted for all of the additional costs of operating legally, such as licensing fees, extra security measures and the employment of a dedicated compliance officer. Unfortunately, because we chose this path, we have recently become “caught in the crossfire” between the authorities and the casino industry. Consequently, we now face major tax increases in the form of;
1. VAT – this is now based on our total gaming area, so our 46 poker tables are treated exactly the same as having 46 roulette tables – now that is a super casino! Therefore, VAT is not reclaimable on almost all of our running costs, including any capital expenditure spent on the building.
2. Business Rates – these have literally gone through the roof and we are now paying the same rates as a 22,000sqft fully equipped casino. It has been indicated that this re-evaluation was prompted by another casino objecting to the level of rates that we were previously paying.
3.Gaming Duty – the appropriately nicknamed “Poker Tax” is now payable on all tournament registration fees and cash game charges, unlike a full casino, poker is 90% of our income and this new tax is applied to all of our poker revenues – whether we make a profit or not.
Despite these setbacks, it will still be “business as usual” at DTD; however, Nick and I will be considering the options as we move ahead. We also intend to consult our members and employees for their views at a future date. Thankfully we are in a good financial position, whereby there is no pressure to make any hasty decisions, but the reality is that we must address these significantly increased costs. Furthermore, we must also factor in the probability of more tax increases in the future, as the authorities continue to target the UK casino sector.
Cheers, Rob
PS. Last week’s DTD Grand Slam overlays will have no effect on our future plans – at least the cash goes directly back into the poker community! I am certain that we will be more successful in the future. This was our first attempt and many venues would be pleased with a 194 field for a £1000k buy-in, especially taking into account the WSOP changed their dates and the market leading £1000 GUKPT took place just a week earlier."
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