Proponents of electronic bingo draw losing numbers in Alabama Senate; courts become next venue

By Phillip Rawls, AP
Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Alabama bingo proponents draw losing numbers

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Electronic bingo proponents couldn’t draw winning numbers Wednesday in the Alabama Legislature, raising doubts about the future of closed casinos unless they can get a victory in court.

That strategy will be pursued within a few days. Macon County’s district attorney said Wednesday he believes the electronic bingo machines are legal at the state’s largest casino, the shuttered VictoryLand complex in Shorter in central Alabama. District Attorney E. Paul Jones said he will seek a court ruling to clarify their status, which could take several weeks.

Most Alabama gambling halls have been closed for about a month to avoid raids by the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling, which argues the machines look and operate as slot machines.

To reopen, operators of the largest casinos had been betting on a two-bill package pending in the Alabama Senate. One would have allowed many of the casinos to reopen without the fear of raids. The other was a proposed constitutional amendment that, if approved by Alabama voters, would tax and regulate electronic bingo and allow casinos in 10 locations, including VictoryLand.

The sponsor, Sen. Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, tried to get the Senate to allow full debate on the proposed constitutional amendment Wednesday, but the 18-16 vote fell three votes short. The senator voluntarily delayed action on the other bill.

The vote was largely along party lines, with most of the support coming from Democrats and the opposition from Republicans.

“This issue is over. The minority, the Republicans, have blocked the people’s right to vote. They are not going to change,” Bedford said.

Republican Gov. Bob Riley credited Bedford’s loss to senators realizing the proposed constitutional amendment was “a corrupt bill” that protected casino operators rather than letting voters decide if they wanted gambling or not.

“It’s about pure, unadulterated corruption and legalizing a no-bid casino monopoly for a few politically connected gambling bosses,” he said.

A leading opponent, Senate Minority Leader Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, said the issue is over for this legislative session. But another opponent, the Rev. Dan Ireland, director emeritus of the Alabama Citizen Action Program, disagreed. “It is not over by a long shot. There is so much money involved, they are not going to take it sitting down,” Ireland said.

Ronnie Gilley, developer of the closed Country Crossing complex at Dothan, isn’t giving up. “My hope is we can get a simplified version and get it back in front of them,” he said.

Gilley and other proponents say electronic bingo is a way to provide jobs when unemployment is the highest in 26 years. They also say it will generate tax revenue that will soften anticipated cuts in the state budgets.

In Macon County, Jones said he has inspected VictoryLand machines since it closed Feb. 1, and he believes they are legal.

Jones is optimistic about filing for a declaratory judgment in Macon County Circuit Court because the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling Nov. 20 involving VictoryLand. In that case, the court threw out a woman’s claim that she was due a jackpot of nearly $42 million from VictoryLand. Instead, the court said she was due less than $2.

Jones said the court could not have awarded her any money if VictoryLand’s machines are illegal.

“In Alabama, no court can award a judgment based on illegal activity,” he said.

The VictoryLand ruling came one week after a Supreme Court decision in a separate bingo case involving the closed White Hall Entertainment Center in Lowndes County. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled bingo must have lots of player involvement, including marking the called numbers and recognizing a win.

The White Hall case in back in circuit court for a review of the casino’s machines.

Gilley said Country Crossing’s lawyers are reviewing what legal options they might have to try to reopen.

The other large non-Indian casino, Greenetrack in Eutaw, remains open. More than 30 small operations are closed in Jefferson and Walker counties.

The legal and legislative battle does not affect the three electronic bingo casinos run by the Poarch Creek Indians because they are not overseen by the state.

Discussion

CLINT B.
March 3, 2010: 11:37 pm

how is it that the people of alabama are screaming for a vote on electronic bingo,but it falls on deaf ears? i have never seen the people in such an uproar like this. 16 senate members voted for thier own people not to be able to vote on this topic. it is so obvious that they are corrupt. thank god it is an election year, we can finally give these dirty politicans what they deserve, the boot! i hope they are getting some fat kick backs, because the people are furious and what they’ve done is politacal suicide. bob riley is gone after this term no matter what. i just can not believe that some people would risk thier career to go against thier own people like that.the people of alabama are not dumb, ignorant, fools. we know what is good for our state and we’re going to put you arrogant polticans where you belong, in the unemployment line with the same people you put there.

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