Nine months after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled electronic bingo machines are illegal under state law, Macon County Circuit Court Judge Steven Perryman permanently banned VictoryLand Casino from offering the games unless and until Alabama legalizes them.
Last September, the state Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that electronic bingo machines, which are similar to slot machines in looks and operation, are illegal gambling devices, defining bingo as the traditional paper form of the game. VictoryLand laid off hundreds of employees in January following the ruling.
Under Perryman’s order, VictoryLand may not have the machines on its premises, receive money from the machines or transfer electronic bingo machines to any other facility in the county.
The permanent injunction resulted from a lawsuit filed by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall against VictoryLand. In a statement following Perryman’s ruling, Marshall said, “Electronic bingo machines are a blatant violation of state law, and the Alabama Supreme Court has reaffirmed this time and time again. Similar to the facilities in Morgan, Houston and Lowndes Counties, the Macon County facilities are permanently prohibited from using electronic bingo machines moving forward.”
The Alabama Constitution prohibits lotteries and most forms of gambling.
Parimutuel betting on live and simulcast horse racing and dog racing is allowed in Greene, Jefferson, Macon, and Mobile counties.
