Strange says no to casino raids

Early morning casino raids appear to be a thing of the past.

In one of his first acts as governor, Robert Bentley, abolished former Gov. Bob Riley’s task force on illegal gambling and reassigned gaming cases to the attorney general’s office.

Riley was able to use the task force and the threat of raids to shutdown and keep closed non-Indian electronic bingo operators in the state. He established the task force during the last year of his second term after he disagreed with former Attorney General Troy King about the legality of so-called bingo machines.

But new Attorney General Luther Strange said that he has no plans to raid electronic bingo facilities, even though he has the resources to do so if they begin re-opening their doors.

Strange said his office will take a different approach to the gaming issue and work with local law enforcement agents to make sure that everyone is following the law when it comes to gaming. A familiar face, however, is handling the gaming cases. Sonny Reagan, former legal advisor to Riley, has returned to the attorney general’s office under Strange and is working on the gaming issue.

Strange said he has been in contact with representatives from Greenetrack, Country Crossing and VictoryLand about getting cases before judges so the issue can be resolved once and for all. There is a hearing in the Greenetrack case today.

“We’re offering them an opportunity to make their case in court,” Strange said in a special meeting with the press Wednesday. “Our position is that these machines are illegal and they don’t fit the definition of bingo.”

Strange said he wants the operators of the machines to allow them to be seized so that forfeiture hearings could take place. He said the machines could be seized “in place” so that they don’t have to be removed from the facilities.
Strange said that if the state wins in court, and he believes it would, the machines would be destroyed.

Strange said he doesn’t expect any currently closed bingo operations to re-open, but if they did, his office would follow standard law enforcement procedures to shut them back down.

But one thing Strange said he is not willing to do is allow the issue of determining whether so-called electronic bingo machines are actually illegal slot machines consume his office.

“I’m trying to put bingo in a box like any other legal issue,” he said. “There has been too much focus on it.”

-- posted by Markeshia Ricks

Bentley signs order creating commission intended to improve government

Gov. Robert Bentley, in his second week in office, signed an executive order creating the Alabama Commission on Improving State Government, which is tasked with analyzing and exploring new ways to reduce government spending with little or no effect on services.
In the order, agencies, departments and commissions are expected to evaluate the effectiveness and need for their current spending levels. Bentley wants to find duplicated, outdated, unnecessary and ineffective services and wants to redirect any savings to more essential state government functions. The commission will also examine the work of similar commissions across the nation and talk to business leaders here about ways to make state government more effective.
"The Alabama Commission on Improving State Government will take an in-depth look at the current cost structure of every state agency and look for new and effective ways to cut costs without cutting essential services," the governor said in a statement.
The commission will deliver a preliminary report to Bentley by June 1.
Bentley is "looking at a number of qualified people to lead the Alabama Commission on Improving State Government, and to serve on the commission," his communications director, Rebekah Mason, wrote in an e-mail. "We expect him to make those announcements in the next few days."
The executive order is the fourth of Bentley's administration.
His first executive order dissolved the Task Force on Illegal Gambling created by his predecessor, Gov. Bob Riley.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Senate expects gambling fight on Tuesday

Sen. Lowell Barron, chairman of the committee that decides which bills come to the Senate floor for debate, said "the gaming bill probably will come up on Tuesday."
"That will tie us up for a time," said Barron, D-Fyffe. Barron said he was offering a list of bills to debate on Thursday that he said were not controversial before the gaming bill comes up next week.
Republican Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, offered his own bill to debate on Thursday and that was the bill that would, if approved by the Legislature and voters, create a gaming commission to oversee casino operations at 10 points of destination in the state and tax the revenue.
Marsh, who opposes the legislation, said he wanted people to know Republicans are not holding up the bill. He said they want to move on to bills that Republicans believe will create jobs. His effort to bring up the gambling bill on Thursday failed.
Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, D-Mobile, said people were still in discussions and needed time to look at the bill. She said she did not know where she stood on the legislation.
Most Republicans believe the bill would create a monopoly for existing casino operators in the state and would expand gambling.
Democrats who support the bill said it would allow the people to vote, would tax gaming in the state and use the revenue for Medicaid and education, and would stop small illegal operations from popping up throughout the state.
Democrats and casino operators have intensified their push to pass the bill since Gov. Bob Riley's Task Force on Illegal Gambling began attempting raids on large facilities in the state, which have shut down following those attempts and rulings by the Alabama Supreme Court.

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen

Two GOP senators support bingo bill

Republican state Sens. Jimmy Holley and Harri Anne Smith have said they support a bill that would allow a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment that would legalize and tax electronic bingo at destination points in the state, according to a report in the Dothan Eagle.

Holley and Smith could be very key votes in the fight over electronic bingo, which Gov. Bob Riley and many Republicans believe are slot machines that are illegal in Alabama. The Democrats would need 21 votes to stop a filibuster on the bill, which is expected, and to pass the legislation.

There are 21 Democrats in the Senate and 14 Republicans, but one of those Democrats typically votes with Republicans.

"The events of the past few weeks dictate and clearly point to the fact that a final resolution to electronic bingo's legality will require the people of Alabama to exercise their right to vote on the issue," Holley, R-Elba, said in a Wednesday release. "I will support a vote on a constitutional amendment on the bingo issue if the amendment provides for a strong oversight commission, taxes the machines in an amount that is fair to the people of Alabama, and brings closure to this sad chapter in Alabama's history."

Holley and Smith, R-Slocomb, represent areas where feelings are strong about the Country Crossing development, which recently shut down due to threats of a raid from Riley's Task Force on Illegal Gambling. Hundreds of people lost their jobs when the complex, which includes a bingo pavilion and restaurants, shut down.

The Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee approved the bill on Tuesday and a top senator has said the bill would come before the full body on Thursday or early next week.

Holley opposed a similar measure a year ago, according to the Dothan Eagle, because it created a monopoly for a few operators, and would take money from local charities.

The senator said the ongoing fight between Riley and Attorney General Troy King over the issue and the attempted raids at Country Crossing near Dothan and VictoryLand in Shorter contributed to his belief that a statewide vote is the best way to solve the conflict.

"I am still reviewing the legislation and will monitor any changes to the proposal. However, ultimately only a vote by Alabama's citizens will bring the issue to a conclusion," Holley said in the statement. "This is a great state whose citizens believe in democracy. If this legislation is placed on the ballot for a vote, then the final resolution would be in the hands of those who exercise their constitutional right to vote."

-- posted by Sebastian Kitchen