Poker Pro Allegedlygame ap Hid $800k Winnings from Illegal Games

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Police have accused Florida poker pro James Kerr, 39, of running a "big time" illegal gambling operation where he made, and hid, "hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Tampa Bay's Fox 13 station's reporting included a video interview with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, who explained the allegations against the well-known local poker player.

Poker Pro in Hot Water

Kerr, who has nearly $700,000 in live tournament cashes, has been under investigation for quite some time, according to Fox 13. Sheriff Judd shared with reporters details about the alleged crimes.

"We learned that James Kerr was running a big time operation and making hundreds of thousands of dollars," the sheriff stated.

Kerr allegedly made approximately $800,000 from illegal poker games he hosted in Winter Haven, a city about an hour south of Orlando. He faces money laundering charges for, as police claim, being the ring leader behind an illegal gambling house. Police also said there could be additional charges filed.

The poker player allegedly hosted illegal poker games from multiple locations, but the main spot was from inside a former law office. Authorities received a tip on Kerr and began investigating with the use of undercover detectives infiltrating the poker games. Kerr is accused of hiding hundreds of thousands of dollars made from gambling nights he hosted between 2021 and 2023.

"Now keep in mind he's also a professional gambler," Sheriff Judd said. "If you search him up online, you'll see he's won a lot of money legally gambling, but guess what, he became greedy and decided to set up his own illegal game. That's when he got arrested."

Kerr does have a lengthy history of cashes in poker tournaments, and he's known to compete frequently in cash games in Florida. In 2021, he won the $1,7000 buy-in Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Poker Classic Main Event for $228,038, a career-best score. He took down a $2,500 buy-in tournament at the same casino in September 2024 for $111,294.

Investigators claim to have discovered that Kerr had been making multiple transactions among different bank accounts. He appeared in court on Tuesday, and his lawyer argued the state didn't have probable cause to charge the poker pro with a crime. A judge, however, imposed a $60,000 bail and ordered Kerr to wear a GPS monitor should he post bail.

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