Headquarters poker room in Ahmedabad raided

The Headquarters Poker Room in Ahmedabad, operated by Vasim Rozani has been raided by the police. This is the third such raid on poker rooms by the Gujarat police, in an apparent attempt to crack the whip on gambling activities.

Details about the number of people arrested in the raid and the currency or valuables seized is not immediately clear. In the past fortnight, police have raided a poker room operated by AAA Gaming in Surat and another club operating in the Navrangpura Hotel in Ahmedabad.

Vasim Rozani did not respond to messages seeking his comments on the raid and it is unclear whether the club intends to challenge the police action legally.

Commenting on the development, KN Suresh, Secretary of the Indian Poker Association (IPA) said, “The player interest is paramount for IPA. While we know that Headquarters is right and that there is nothing illegal about the activity, we think it would have been prudent to clarify as we propose to do when our matter comes up tomorrow before we resume games, it is the only fair thing to do for players.”

Gujarat police has consistently claimed that poker is a game of chance and consequently playing the game for stakes amounts to gambling. Four poker clubs have however challenged the police action in the Gujarat High Court and the matter is listed for hearing on 9th June, 2017.

Note: The story has been updated after Amin Rozani denied his association with Headquarters Poker Room.