Governor’s task force asks Alabama Supreme Court to allow raid of new $87M bingo casino

Alabama court asked to allow state raid of casino

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Gov. Bob Riley’s antigambling task force asked the Alabama Supreme Court on Thursday to clear the way for a state raid of the new bingo casino near Dothan before Sunday.

Task force leader David Barber, whose planned raid with hundreds of agents was blocked early Wednesday, told the court that swift action is needed because his search warrant for the raid at Country Crossing expires Sunday.

Country Crossing opened in December with 1,700 electronic bingo machines, restaurants, an inn and a concert venue. Barber argues in his court filings that the machines don’t meet the characteristics for legal bingo that the Alabama Supreme Court recently outlined in a separate case involving the White Hall casino 20 miles west of Montgomery.

Those requirements included active involvement by the player, including paying attention to the numbers announced and recognizing a win.

The gambling and entertainment complex insists its games are legal and is fighting Barber’s legal efforts.

“This is not China or Russia where dictators declare something illegal one day and close the book on the case, and we will not be bullied or strong-armed by anyone, up to and including the governor,” Country Crossing spokesman Jay Walker said Thursday.

Court filings show the task force had planned to conduct the raid on Country Crossing at 4 a.m. Wednesday with a search warrant issued by a district judge in Dothan. The Houston County Commission, which supports Country Crossing, got Circuit Judge P.B. McLauchlin of Ozark to issue a pre-dawn order blocking the raid as officers massed in locations near the casino.

The judge ruled that stopping the games would interfere with gambling revenue needed to pay off bonds used to build the $87 million casino and entertainment attraction.

Barber asked the judge to lift his order Wednesday, but the judge declined to set a hearing before the search warrant expires.

Barber said that unless the Supreme Court lifts McLauchlin’s order quickly, “the Task Force will be unable to execute the warrant, and Country Crossing’s ruse will become the blueprint for gambling interests hoping to evade the law in the future.”

Barber’s court filing describes the huge preparations for the halted raid.

“It had hundreds of agents ready to execute the warrant, and those agents remain on standby now,” Barber wrote.

He said swift action is needed because it could take as long as three days to complete the seizure of the machines from one of the state’s largest casinos.

Barber said the machines at Country Crossing fail to meet legal requirements. “In fact, once money is inserted, the game can be played with the gambler’s eyes closed — by simply pressing the button three times,” he wrote.

Country Crossing’s spokesman said its machines are the same as those used at other gambling businesses in Alabama.

Riley’s task force conducted a raid in March at the White Hall casino. The task force seized about 100 of the 900 machines and more than $500,000 in cash. The casino got new equipment and continues to operate while the case is in litigation.

The Birmingham News reported Thursday that the task force recently wanted to raid Alabama’s largest casino, Victoryland in Shorter, 15 miles east of Montgomery, but couldn’t get a judge to approve a search warrant.