Casinos prepare to close in wake of decision

For months, anti-gaming Governor Bob Riley of Alabama has fought the state attorney general for oversight and control of electronic bingo in the state. A May 21 ruling by the state Supreme Court seems to have put an end to that battle, at least for now.

The court ruled that Attorney General Troy King cannot take over Riley's task force on illegal gambling. Though "disappointed" by the decision, King said he would "immediately turn over to the governor all bingo matters."

The dispute began in March 2009, when Riley's enforcers raided the White Hall bingo parlor in Lowndes County, seizing 101 machines and more than $560,000 in cash. King challenged the legality of that action. But the court ruled that Riley, as "chief magistrate" according to the state constitution, is the authority in such matters.

"The common-law powers that have been prescribed to the attorney general," wrote the court, "do not include the power to countermand the chief magistrate."

Though King personally does not support gaming, he had criticized a number of early morning raids on bingo halls, and said the legality of the games should be determined by the courts.

"I have been proud throughout this process to stand up for the true rule of law and for all Alabamians," King said in a statement last week.

Some bingo halls have already closed in response to the Supreme Court ruling. According to the Birmingham News, Bessemer Cutoff District Attorney Arthur Green said he would ask the 14 locations in western Jefferson County to close immediately.

And an attorney who represents Midfield Super Bingo said it's just a matter of time before that operation is forced to close.

"It's a fairly straightforward situation," said Calvin Biggers. "We were open by virtue of the fact that he was enjoined from raiding us. He's no longer enjoined from raiding us."

An attorney for Fairfield, Jefferson County, said all the bingo halls there are prepared to ultimately close, but would like to do so in an orderly fashion, with announcements to their patrons and employees. Michael Trucks added that the loss of hundreds of jobs and bingo revenue may force Fairfield to cut back on city services.

"We're talking about a city that has an annual budget of approximately $10 million dollars," Trucks said. "Bingo contributes almost $450,000 a month towards that budget. To suffer this kind of loss may jeopardize basic services."

The owner of the state's largest bingo hall, Victoryland, said he is not prepared to close. In a statement, a defiant Milton McGregor said electronic bingo at the facility was approved "by almost 80 percent of voters" in 2003.

"VictoryLand is open and will continue to operate under the clear guidance and approval included in the constitutional amendment allowing electronic bingo approved by the voters," McGregor said, conceding that the court may choose to rule against operations "in some counties where constitutional amendments may be vague or unclear."

But Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson Jr., tapped by Riley to head the task force, said he is eager to resume action against casinos that remain open-including VictoryLand.

"We have been continuing to battle against illegal gambling with law enforcement and in the Supreme Court," Tyson said. "Now that that's over with, we're able to take the battle back to the casinos."

In an election year, the issue promises to live on. Democratic candidate Ron Sparks last week asked the governor "to stop this madness and stop this craziness in the state of Alabama. The people don't deserve it and they want to vote on it."

If elected, Sparks said, he would fire Tyson and dismantle the task force.

His opponent, Artur Davis, also a Democrat, agreed that a referendum is appropriate, but added that he is "the only candidate running who's not controlled by the gambling interests. People ought to have a chance to resolve this question, but I'm not going to do it in a way where the deck is rigged to favor a few fat cats."

By Staff