The task force to crack down on illegal gambling in Alabama was created by the former Governor Robert Riley. It was Governor Riley’s decision to declare electronic bingo machines in Alabama as illegal. When Riley’s term ended recently, it was expected that there will be a more lenient approach to the issue by the new incumbent.
The new Governor Robert Bentley is now firmly in office and one of the first decisions that he took was to hand over the task force to Attorney General Luther Strange. The two of them together took the decision to disband the task force with immediate effect. Gambling owners of Alabama are now hopeful of reopening their facilities shortly so that thousands of Alabamians can get back to work.
Attorney General Strange has said that he’s willing to turn the issue over to the Alabama courts. This is a view that is diametrically opposite of what Riley has been consistently stating during his tenure. For the former Governor, only his views mattered. The creation of the task force was testimony to his ways of thinking on the gambling issue in the state.
AG Strange was quite forthcoming when he mentioned that the slot machines do not fit into the description or definition of bingo. He acknowledged that the casino owners have a different view. The court, he feels, is the ideal place where the issue can be fairly redressed fairly to the satisfaction of all parties involved.
That is exactly what Alabama casino owners have been requesting from the government over the past couple of years. Owners of Country Crossings and VictoryLand have been asking for their day in the courts so that the Supreme Court can give its ruling on the machines. It now looks as if their wishes are about to be granted soon.
The owners of Country Crossings and Victory Land are looking to settle other issues in the court as well. They were part of an indictment that came down last year. Both were accused of attempting to bribe lawmakers with cash in exchange for positive votes on the bill that would have given Alabama residents the power to decide the future of electronic bingo machines.
AG Strange is of the firm belief that the casino owners will not open shop before the case is decided by the court. The fear of raids by the task had forced many owners to shut down. The action will shift to the court shortly.
Meanwhile South Carolina residents have reasons to rejoice. An antiquated 1804 law is now being reviewed. The law made it illegal for South Carolina residents to play card or dice games of any kind in their homes. The Senate Judiciary committee voted positively to pass the bill that would allow card and dice games to be played in South Carolina. If approved, residents would be permitted to gamble on these games in their homes without any limits. The move is aimed at allowing friendly poker games amongst friends for monetary consideration.
There is some concern over the move by some lawmakers. They feel that the bill will be misused by some creatively thinking gambling owners. Lawmakers are taking their time to make sure that all controls are in place.