Pair charged in gambling probe

SANDPOINT — The operators of a downtown nightclub pleaded not guilty Tuesday to hosting an illegal poker tournament last year.

Gary Lee Solis Jr. and Dustin Jacob Koril are charged with violating a state law forbidding liquor license holders from allowing gambling on the premises, a misdemeanor.

Solis, 29, and Koril, 30, are retaining private counsel, court records indicate. Pretrial hearings in their respective cases are pending in the magistrate division of 1st District Court.

Koril, according to a Sandpoint Police report, told investigators he was unaware the card game was prohibited and that it was being done for charity. Police discovered the tournament while conducting routine downtown bar checks on the night of Dec. 10, 2009.

Officers entered the upstairs nightclub through an open door on First Avenue and discovered two poker tables ringed by card players. A laptop computer attached to a monitor displayed average chip counts, a countdown timer, ante amounts and poker chip values, police reports said.

About a dozen players were present and the game being played appeared to be Texas hold ‘em. Some of the players cooperated with the investigation, while others did not, court documents indicate.

There was no record of any of the players identified in police reports being charged with an offense, according to the Idaho Statewide Trial Court Automated Record System.

One of the players, a 39-year-old Sandpoint man, told police he had played in as many as 10 prior tournaments at Spar, formerly known as the Synergy nightclub. A number of players said it was their understanding that the tournament was a fundraiser for charity, such as the local food bank.

The manager of the Bonner County Community Food Center, however, told police she was unaware of the fundraiser and didn’t know who Solis or Koril were.

Bundled and marked parcels of money for first ($540), second ($270), third ($90) and “charity” (also $90) were seized during a warrant search. The initial buy-in fee was $55, the police report said.

Some players told police the tournament was invite-only, while others said they learned of the tournament through word of mouth, or via print and broadcast advertisements. The police investigation found that radio spots advertising the “charity card tournament” had been purchased from Blue Sky Broadcasting.

Solis, co-owner of Spar, and Koril, owner of the building the bar is located in, were cited by Sandpoint Police on June 1 and issued summons to appear in court for arraignment.