Victoryland in Macon County, Alabama, has asked the state Supreme Court to reconsider its recent decision that three casinos in Macon and Lowndes counties must cease offering “illegal gambling activities,” namely, electronic bingo.
In September, the high court ruled Victoryland, White Hall Entertainment and Southern Star have “no right” to engage in and “cannot be harmed by enjoined from continuing in an illegal enterprise.”
In its court filing, Victoryland stated a rehearing is “needed and necessary to prevent a serious and mistaken rush to judgment.” Victoryland attorneys said a permanent injunction will have “serious and detrimental and/or fatal effect” on the 75 charities it supports. These include several schools, churches and fire departments, as well as the Tuskegee Area Chamber of Commerce, Tuskegee Housing Authority and Macon County Health Care Authority.
Victoryland added no other entity “can or will” provide the public support and charity it provides.
The rehearing application stated, “Victoryland respectfully requests the opportunity to be heard by the Court on its motion to extend the time for the entry of preliminary injunction, which is warranted given the severe and catastrophic impact that will flow from the Court’s opinion.” Victoryland lawyers asked the court to extend the deadline for the permanent injunction to December 31, if its rehearing application is refused.
In 2016, the governor’s office disbanded a task force on illegal gambling and transferred its duties to Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office, which has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to prosecute electronic gambling establishments.
Marshall said the state Supreme Court unanimously agreed with his office that the casinos “are illegal gambling enterprises” and called electronic bingo “a misnomer used by the casinos to mean ‘vide-slot-machine gambling’ at their respective facilities.”
The high court’s decision specifically addressed only Macon and Lowndes counties, but ultimately it could impact other non-Native American casinos, which are federally protected.
