Bowie Elks reprimanded for illegal poker game at lodge

$406 in cash confiscated by Megan King

Lodge members were ordered to appear before the liquor board after police entered the club on an anonymous tip Aug. 13 and discovered an illegal poker game ongoing.

When police went to the lodge, they confiscated $406, a poker table, poker chips and playing cards, according to an Anne Arundel County police report.

Eight men, three of whom listed Bowie addresses, were involved in the game, the report said.

No charges have been filed, according to Maryland court records.

Detective Lemuel Aulton of the Anne Arundel County Police Department told the liquor board that the lodge members and staff were ‘‘very cooperative” with police, and the men admitted they were playing a low-stakes poker game.

A liquor board staff member said the lodge had been previously told not to host poker games. The Elks leaders said they plan to make it clear to their members that gambling is not permitted.

After the hearing, William Seibert, the lodge’s leading knight, described the board’s ruling as fair.

‘‘We’re just going to stop it,” Seibert said when asked how the lodge’s leaders would address the issue with their membership.

Under Anne Arundel County law, it is illegal to knowingly operate a ‘‘gaming event.” If convicted, the penalty is up to six months in prison, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.