James Galloway Runs The Lodge Fundraiser For Laid Off Employees

James Galloway Runs The Lodge Fundraiser For Laid Off Employees
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Vasilisa Zyryanova Blog Content Editor
Fact Checked: PokerListings
  • Updated: March 29, 2026
  • Read time: 1 min

Due to legal issues surrounding The Lodge, which have been ongoing in Texas throughout March 2026, the club’s management was forced to close the venue and lay off its staff for an unknown period of time James Galloway, professional poker player and husband of Caitlin Comeskey, decided to do something good for the club workers and launched a fundraiser to provide them and their families with financial assistance in this difficult situation.

Support Lodge Employees After Closure

Under this name, a fundraiser was launched on GoFundMe on March 25th, 2026, with a target amount of $50,000. James explained the motivation for raising money simply:

James Galloway

“The Lodge poker club was recently raided, leading to the sudden closure and job losses for many dedicated staff members who’ve been part of the community for years. Families are now facing immediate financial struggles to cover rent, bills, and daily expenses. I donated to this fundraiser because the cause really matters to me. If you’re able, a share or small contribution can help these employees get through this tough time and show that the Lodge family is stronger together.”

According to his X (Twitter) page, James planned to close the fundraiser on Saturday, March 27th. 

James Galloway Lodge Casino

However, by the evening of the target date, people had raised only $31,802 — slightly over half of the goal.

The Lodge Fundraiser

Because of this, James decided to extend the fundraiser until Monday, March 30th — but he wrote about it on the fundraising page rather than on Twitter:

James Galloway on Fundraiser

The Lodge managers also shared an Employee Transition Plan to help its ex-employees find jobs.

The Largest Donors to The Lodge Fundraiser

The first donors included co-owners of The Lodge.

Doug Polk donated the largest amount of money among all fundraiser participants: $10,000.

Brad Owen and Andrew Neeme donated $5,000 each.

Among the top donors were also:

  • Nick Vertucci — $2,000
  • John Driver — $1,000
  • Elliot Roe — $1,000
  • Drake Kemper — $1,000

By the end of March 28th, a total of 54 people had participated in the fundraising effort.

The Lodge donations

You can learn more about how The Lodge staff is coping with the club’s closure, and how you can support them and help in any way that works best for you, in their Facebook group.