Electronic bingo to shut down in Lowndes, Macon counties after Alabama Supreme Court ruling
On Friday, the state’s highest court issued orders to cease engaging in “illegal gambling activities” pertaining to defendants in Macon and Lowndes counties, home to facilities including Victoryland, White Hall Entertainment and Southern Star.
According to the court’s ruling, the defendants have “no right” to engage in and “cannot be harmed by enjoined from continuing in an illegal enterprise.” “The Alabama Supreme Court’s opinion makes clear what my office has maintained from the start: these gambling enterprises are not only patently illegal under Alabama law, but also a menace to public health, morals, safety, and welfare,” said Attorney General Steve Marshall. “Today’s decision will forbid the Southern Star, White Hall, and Victoryland casinos from offering their slot-machine gambling to the public.” Justices ordered circuit courts in both counties to, within 30 days, enter orders that permanently enjoin defendants from offering “electronic bingo” machines at any facility, from receiving money from the machines, from transporting or adding more machines, and “from receiving, utilizing, or providing bingo licenses or permits to play “electronic bingo” in their respective county.” The state’s high court noted in its order that “because White Hall has waived all arguments at issue in its cross-appeal relating to the dismissal of its counterclaims, that portion of the Lowndes Circuit Court’s order is hereby affirmed,” meaning Lowndes County has already complied with the order. The Alabama attorney general’s office has long since declared electronic bingo in Alabama as illegal gambling, going as far as using hundreds of thousands of dollars to prosecute it.a task force on illegal gambling, transferring the responsibilities to the AG’s office. Executive Order No. 13 deemed local jurisdictions and law enforcement as being those charged with interpreting and applying Alabama law over gaming or gambling in their respective county. Marshall said the state’s high court unanimously agreed with his office that the casinos “are illegal gambling enterprises,” and called electronic bingo “a misnomer used by the casinos to mean “video-slot-machine gambling” at their respective facilities.” While Friday’s order specifically addresses only Macon and Lowndes counties, it could ultimately have a statewide impact on other, non-Native American enterprises. The state’s Native American facilities are federally protected.
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