James Kerr, a well-known professional poker player from Florida whose career includes victories in prestigious tournaments and prize earnings totaling approximately $700,000, has found himself at the center of a high-profile scandal. The Polk County police accused the 39-year-old Kerr of running a large-scale illegal poker operation, through which he allegedly earned hundreds of thousands of dollars. An investigation that lasted several years ended with his arrest.
According to law enforcement, Kerr ran illegal poker games in Winter Haven, a city located about an hour’s drive south of Orlando. The main location for these underground games was a former law office. According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, it was a “major” operation that brought the organizer significant income.
“We learned that James Kerr was running a big-time operation and earning hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Sheriff Judd stated in an interview with Fox 13. He also noted that Kerr used multiple bank accounts to conceal the income obtained from illegal gambling, which became the basis for money laundering charges.
The investigation began after authorities received information about the underground games. Undercover detectives were deployed to infiltrate the games and gather evidence. As a result of the investigation, the police determined that Kerr had been hosting illegal poker events from 2021 to 2023. The total revenue from these operations is estimated at $800,000.
Sheriff Judd emphasized that despite Kerr’s success in legal poker tournaments, his desire to increase his earnings led him to break the law. “He’s a professional gambler. If you look him up online, you’ll see he’s won a lot of money in legal gambling. But imagine this: he got greedy and decided to set up his own illegal game. That’s when he got arrested,” Judd said.
Kerr’s poker career is indeed impressive. In 2021, he won the $1,700 buy-in Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Poker Classic Main Event, earning $228,038 — the largest win of his career. In September 2024, he once again excelled by winning a $2,500 buy-in tournament at the same casino, adding $111,294 to his bankroll.
For the poker community, this case serves as yet another reminder of the risks associated with illegal gambling. Despite a successful career in legal tournaments, James Kerr now faces serious legal consequences for his actions.
Photo: Amol Tyagi/Unsplash
