Editorial: New approach to gambling needed in Alabama

Friday, April 23, 2010  

"Many Alabama voters had hoped they’d have a chance to do what our courts and elected officials can’t or won’t do —make clear whether electronic bingo is legal in our state.

They’re out of luck; a bill that would have put the question before the people was pulled from consideration in the waning hours of the legislative session because it did not have enough support to pass.

Now we’re right where we were four months ago: Country Crossing idle; other electronic bingo parlors operating under threat of a raid by the governor’s task force; laws and regulations apparently too convoluted for our best legal minds to decipher; a lame-duck governor who will stop at nothing in his quest to eradicate “illegal gambling;” and several Indian gaming facilities that operate freely without having to contribute anything to the state’s coffers.

Meanwhile, the Florida Legislature passed a measure creating a new compact with the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida that would allow limited expansion of gambling at five sites. In return, the Seminoles have guaranteed the state of Florida about $1.3 billion over the next five years."

Get the Story:
Editorial: A better approach? (The Dothan Eagle 4/23)

Also Today:
Country Crossing lobbyist claims Lewis was downfall of bingo bill (The Dothan Eagle 4/22)