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Gambling Bill is a Least Priority for Alabama Legislators

Posted on May 4th, 2011

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The state legislators are heading to an opposite direction from the road they took last year when sessions were dominated by gambling debates. This year, the Republican lawmakers did not bring up a single bill to address issues on gambling. “That issue is radioactive,” said Todd Stacy, spokesman for House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn. The issue on gambling took a slow pace along with its supporters who were discouraged and cautious as a result of federal corruption probe arising from lobbying efforts to legalize electronic bingo in the state. In October 2010, before the state’s election, a major corruption scandal erupted when the FBI indicted 11 accused of bribery to legalize electronic bingo. Indictments included four state Senators, top lobbyists of the state and influential businessmen, some of the defendants pleaded guilty.

Regrettably, the effort of expanding gambling in Alabama is not as successful as that of other states in the United States. Early this year, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange is seeking an all-out ban on electronic bingo machines which includes three Indian- operated casinos in the State. He wrote a letter to the National Indian Gaming Commission informing them that he considered the games illegal. However, the Poarch Creek Indians remained unperturbed stating that Federal law is on their side. Robbie McGhee of the Porch Creek Indians added in response to the letter of the Attorney General “We’re protected by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and the National Indian Gaming Commission. The National Indian Gaming Commission is the entity that would have to come in and issue a closure to our facilities,” he explained. It’s not the first time it’s come down to federal law versus state law.

Senator Bryan Taylor (R-Prattville) stated “I don’t think we should ever let any federal agency dictate to us what Alabama law should be, especially when I believe the federal agency’s interpretation of federal law is erroneous.” The Senator recently passed a bill that would increase the punishment for possession of a gambling device from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class C felony, punishable by one to 10 years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine. Democrats however, who are in favor and are eagerly supporting gambling legalization, were overpowered at the polls by most of the Republicans who are opposed to gambling expansion in the state. Todd Stacy said that “The makeup of the Legislature changed dramatically in the 2010 election, and the Republican leadership is simply opposed to expanding gambling — particularly slot machine gambling — in Alabama, so it’s a non-starter,”. He added that there is no need to pass anti-gambling bills because the slots-like bingo machines which has been the center of the controversy, according to him, are clearly illegal. However, Sen. Marc Keahey, D-Grove Hill, argued, saying “questions still linger” about exactly how and when bingo, which is legal in Alabama, gets defined as an illegal based on electronic play.

Senator Keahey further stated that “It’s an issue that needs to be addressed now just as much as it needed to be addressed in years past when there was legislation filed,” A Birmingham News release on March 2011 announced that “Greenetrack in Eutaw has reopened with bingo operation but the customers aren’t playing the slot machine-like games to which they had been accustomed.” A few customers have left Greenetrack unsatisfied. Players complained that they didn’t like the new machines, insisting that the monitors are too small for them to clearly see. One customer has even reportedly walked out after having stood in line for almost an hour without being able to secure a PIN for herself.

However, some maintain that being able to play bingo again is enough for them. “Yeah this makes me really happy. I can stop driving two hours to Mississippi to play,” said Williams Stevens of Tuscaloosa.

Greenetrack President Nat Winn said that the opening has brought back a few of the facility’s employees who were laid off last year after operations were shut down due to the raids that were conducted. Winn expressed his desire to eventually rehire most, if not all, of the previous employees that were affected.