Men charged for illegal ‘speakeasy’ in Ballard

Seven men are accused of operating underground gambling halls in a half dozen locations around the city, including one in Ballard. According to SeattlePI.com, police and state gambling officials have been investigating these men for the last four years after hearing reports of illegal gambling. “Investigators claim a poker room was being operated at the now-defunct Bit Saloon in Ballard,” according to SeattlePI.com. “Other gaming operations are alleged to have been run out of Cafe Corsair in Belltown and Cafe (un)American in Capitol Hill, as well as several homes.”

Click here to read more about this alleged illegal gambling operation.

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20 thoughts to “Men charged for illegal ‘speakeasy’ in Ballard”

  1. It does seem like a long time, but I think it’s more than a “couple people playing cards” since they arrested a few. There were also drug dealing offenses and where there’s illegal gambling there is usually loan sharking as well. I’m glad they arrested those involved, but yeah…it would have been nice to wrap it up in four weeks or four months and move on to other crimes.

  2. Yes it is pathetic that the police and gambling officials spent 4 years on this horrible horrible crime ring. BUT what you need to realize here is that the actual CRIME committed was that the STATE DIDN”T GET THEIR CUT!

  3. SPD murder harmless street person, recieve hundreds of stripper lap dances on the city dime, and spend four years playing poker (what they probably do on their own time), and bust a couple guys on ONE COUNT of gambling. Wake up seattle, the SPD is a JOKE!

  4. The events that are being referred to in this article happened after the “guy” you are referring to sold The Bit. He’s a good guy and is in no way related to these events.

  5. It was spelled correctly, but the formatting was a little off. It should have looked like this:

    Whatever.
    -Ignoramus

    ps: Did I spell my own name correctly?

  6. This wasn’t organized crime; these people were artists, and I think accomplished an appropriate protest to the ridiculous and oppressive liquor enforcement that plagues our city. DK Pan and others are responsible in many ways for keeping the soul of our city alive through the present era of authoritarian, jack-booted thugs that attempt neuter our civic culture.

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