Editorial: Bingo crackdown leaves state at mercy of Poarch Creeks

Tuesday, August 3, 2010  

"Purveyors of electronic bingo in Alabama experienced another setback last week at the state Supreme Court, and it hardly should have come as a surprise.

The court obliterated the only thing standing between VictoryLand and a raid by Gov. Bob Riley's gambling task force. In doing so, the justices effectively ensured the closing of the state's only remaining electronic bingo operation not being run by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.

The Poarch Creeks still operate electronic bingo, and shutting down electronic bingo at VictoryLand gives the tribe a monopoly. But would the Poarch Creeks have even gotten into the business big time if state officials had not been so lax about electronic bingo at places like VictoryLand? Probably not.

As it now stands, that is pretty much water under the bridge, and the state has little recourse with regard to the Poarch Creeks' bingo businesses. Indian gambling is a world unto itself, governed by obscure federal rules and court precedents.

VictoryLand supporters can continue to rail about the Indians and their monopoly. But if they want the Poarch Creeks to have competition, they'd be better served if they channeled their energies into changing the state's constitution and laws to legalize electronic bingo, for real, and on the up-and-up."

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OUR VIEW: The Alabama Supreme Court's decision on VictoryLand ought to leave little doubt about the current state of electronic bingo in Alabama (The Birmingham News 8/3)