VictoryLand Casino in Shorter, Alabama will reopen soon, owner Milton McGregor said, following Circuit Judge William Shashy’s recent ruling that the state was “cherry picking” which casinos to target for gambling-law enforcement. Shashy ordered the state to return within 45 days the 1,615 bingo machines and 3,000 in cash seized in a 2013 raid on VictoryLand, or close all Alabama casinos.
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange already has filed a motion seeking a stay on the order, which he said was “very unusual” and “silly.” The state still claims the seized machines are illegal slot machines. Shashy said electronic bingo was authorized in a 2003 amendment approved by local voters. He wrote, “The state did not deny the existence of these casinos or the electronic bingo machines. Thus, the court reiterates its ruling that the state of Alabama is cherry picking which facilities should remain opened or closed, and this court will not be used as an instrument to perpetuate this unfair treatment.”
Shashy noted there are in Greene County has four casinos and Lowndes County has two casinos, offering a total of 1,798 electronic bingo machines.
McGregor said, “We’re not in a rush to open until the facility is like we want it. First impressions are important.” He said he has received 3,500 job applications since Shashy’s October 2 ruling, and started interviewing applicants at 8:30 a.m. on October 3. VictoryLand previously had 2,000 employees.
McGregor also wants to open a casino at the former Birmingham Race Course on John Rogers Drive, but that depends on the legislature passing state Senator Del Marsh’s proposed lottery and casino bill.
Alabama is one of only six states that do not allow a lottery. A poll commissioned by the Alabama Jobs Foundation indicated 89 percent of Alabamians want the right to vote on gambling.
