Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has filed lawsuits in five counties against bingo parlors offering slots. The counties include Greene, Houston, Lowndes, Macon, and Morgan.
Marshall asked circuit courts in these five counties to grant preliminary injunctions to stop the parlors from operating.
“It is the responsibility of the Attorney General to ensure that Alabama’s laws are enforced, including those laws that prohibit illegal gambling,” said Marshall.
“Through multiple rulings in recent years, the Alabama Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that electronic bingo and the use of slot machines are illegal in all Alabama counties.”
What Type of Slots are the Bingo Parlors Running?
Some Alabama bingo parlors offer slots under the guise of being electronic bingo machines. These are essentially illegal under Alabama law.
However, the operators claim that these pseudo slot machines are legal under new laws approved by individual counties.
According to AL.com, the State Supreme Court has ruled that electronic bingo machines are too close to slot machines.
This ruling followed Macon County’s VictoryLand casino being shut down in September 2016 after a police raid.
“VictoryLand will continue to fight on behalf of its wonderful employees and the people of Macon County and east Alabama,” said VictoryLand owner McGregor.
Bingo Parlors Fighting Alabama AG
The bingo parlors don’t intend to go down without a fight since they think county laws favor them. This includes Luther Winn Jr, CEO of Greenetrack, who believes that he’s perfectly in the right.
“While we have not had a chance to review the lawsuit, we will vigorously fight to protect the constitutional amendment that the voters of Greene County ratified which allows these games in Greene County,” said Winn.
He added that closing the casinos is now costing Alabama residents good-paying jobs.
“By his own hand, Marshall has now jeopardized the jobs of 115 mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers,” Winn explained. “These are good-paying jobs with insurance and retirement benefits.
“Don’t let Marshall fool you, this lawsuit signals his willingness to increase Alabama’s unemployment, food stamp, and Medicaid rolls by 115 people in Greene County alone.”
Given that neither side is letting up, these lawsuits don’t figure to die any time soon.