The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that VictoryLand’s electronic bingo machines are illegal.
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McGregor said a Tuesday afternoon was chosen for the soft opening so employees could work out any bugs in the machines.
The Alabama Supreme Court ultimately sided with the AG’s office, ruling the state could keep and destroy the machines because they did not meet the legal definition of bingo.
It’s a day many in Macon County, AL have been waiting for. The gaming facility opened its doors Tuesday after being closed for three years.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley in November rescinded an earlier executive order he signed that disbanded the previous governor’s gambling task force and turned over enforcement to the attorney general’s office.
The Macon County sheriff said in a press release announcing the reopening that he supports the casino.
The Attorney General’s office and Department of Public Safety officers served a search warrant at VictoryLand in August of 2013, citing illegal gambling operations. At that time, Mayor Ford said that VictoryLand would begin welcoming patrons again on September 6.
He said that would be expanded in the coming months, and upon opening the facility would have 500 electronic bingo machines. Why not let them come to Macon County and gamble?
Yasamie August, spokeswoman for Governor Bentley, said Monday that the November order remained in effect and declined to comment on the expected reopening, according to the news agency.
“The governor has expressly told the sheriff and district attorney in Macon County that they need to do their job and enforce state gambling laws”.
Thousands of people flocked to Victoryland for the opening; some left when they discovered every gaming machine was taken, while others waited for over an hour for a machine to free up.
“We’re doing what we were supposed to have been doing all along, and that’s employing people, paying charities, paying taxes, helping the schools and doing the things we should do as a corporate citizen”, McGregor said.
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“The bingo and any gaming issue will be handled by sheriff and the DA to determine the legality and they have done that and without question, everything on this floor is legal”, he explained.
