Luck Be A Lady ... to Larry

by: mooncat

Thu Mar 04, 2010 at 08:49:02 AM CST

Larry Langford hit the jackpot -- 555 times at Victoryland alone!

"These records demonstrate unequivocally that what the plaintiffs have alleged did in fact occur. Mr. Langford has, miraculously, won over five hundred and fifty jackpots at VictoryLand," over the last three years, Mann wrote in the motion.

Langford told The Birmingham News on Tuesday he didn't remember winning multiple jackpots on any given day.

"Did you say 36 jackpots? Thirty-six ... jackpots! That's B.S.," Langford said. "I never won 36 jackpots in one ... night in my life."

Whatever you think of the former Birmingham mayor's incredible luck at the slot electronic bingo machines, or his memory lapse regarding that incredible luck, his accountant was savvy enough to report each and every jackpot to the IRS.  The Birmingham News put together a neat bar chart showing Langford's 2008 winnings -- $729,000 in just 24 trips to Victoryland.

Of course, when any public official is "winning" this much money, there is potential for corruption (payoffs) or the appearance of payoffs.  Langford's IRS records were subpoenaed in a lawsuit alleging that his wins were rigged, to the detriment of other customers in the gambling establishments.

We've all heard the story of how Al Capone was finally sent to prison for failing to report and pay tax on his illegal income.  Langford did report his gambling winnings, but here's the part of the story I find even more incredible than the 555 jackpots: Larry Langford's gambling losses exactly equaled his gambling winnings!

... in 2006, he reported winning and losing $227,673. In 2007, he reported $485,633 in gambling winnings and losses. And in 2008, Langford reported winning and losing $810,601.

Exactly the same, right down to the dollar.  What are the odds of that happening?

Riley & Tyson

by: mpmarus

Fri Feb 26, 2010 at 09:35:51 AM CST

Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson Jr., who heads the task force, was on the scene as at least 10 uniformed officers -- both state troopers and Alcoholic Beverage Control Board agents -- raided the bingo operation housed in the Chickasaw auditorium and seized 25 machines.

(picture & quote from Al.com)

Alabama Bingo Theater Continues

by: mooncat

Wed Feb 17, 2010 at 17:03:55 PM CST

Dueling press conferences, a blizzard of press releases, debate (?) in the Legislature ... I have absolutely no idea where this is going.

Troy King held a press conference today declaring that, although he has the authority to shut down the Governor's anti-gambling task force, that's "not an option I'm prepared to exercise - yet.

The Governor's responded that King has no credibility left on this issue.

In a release, Victoryland Attorney Mark White said:

“We believe the Governor and Mr. Tyson should follow the advice given to them by the State’s Attorney General and remove our property and our citizens from their lawless threats of arrest and destruction. 

Because our machines have been certified to be in compliance with the Alabama Supreme Court Decision that set out the six-point definition of legal bingo, we are anxious to put our employees back to work and restore business operations.  We are willing to prove that again in the Circuit Court of Macon County. 

If the Governor and Mr. Tyson reject the advice they have been given, the citizens will know they are acting against the best interests of our State.  General King will then have to decide if he will do his job as Attorney General by stepping in and taking over the legal process which is clearly his right under the Constitution.”

Or, to paraphrase, "Sic 'em, Troy!"

Then John Tyson, head of the Governor's anti-gambling task force, held a press conference to say:

Slot machines are illegal no matter what name you call them ...

It is the duty of the Task Force in Illegal Gambling to enforce the criminal law of Alabama. We will do just that.

The attorney general knows what his powers are. And he basically announced today (that) while he was going to give his advice, he was not going to do anything. So the work of the task force will continue.

Paraphrasing again: "Do your job, or get the hell out of the way, Troy!"

And here's Victoryland Attorney Mark White, again:

“The position taken by Mr. Tyson today confirms he is determined to create a Constitutional crisis in our state and endanger the life, liberty and property of Alabama’s citizens.

Mr. Tyson and Governor Riley do not believe they are accountable to any law or any person.  Everyone must now ask the question ‘Why are they doing this now?’

General King today confirmed Mr. Tyson and Governor Riley were turned down by neutral magistrates and judges in Macon and Greene counties because there was no probable cause.  They now seek to declare probable cause themselves and it is clear they are proceeding in bad faith and contrary to law.  They have created civil liability for this State in amounts that defy imagination.

Every citizen now stands in peril because of their desperate actions.”

Which sounds kind of like "The sky is falling!  Do something!"

These are grown men with good jobs.  Surely there's rhyme or reason motivating them ... somebody please pull back the curtain and let the rest of us see it.

Sparks Bingo Press Release

by: mooncat

Sat Feb 13, 2010 at 12:35:00 PM CST

Oops.

Note to aspiring communication pros: When you mention other officials in your guy's snarky press release, make sure they're cool with the association ... 'cause the last thing you want is to have folks who were standing next to your guy yesterday scrambling to distance themselves today.

State legislators who attended a news conference about bingo casino jobs with Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks said Friday they weren’t endorsing Sparks who, in a gubernatorial campaign press release with their names on it, attacked opponent Artur Davis.

I would link to the press release in question but I can't locate it at sparks2010.com.

Gambling Standoff: This is what Backbone Looks Like

by: mooncat

Fri Feb 12, 2010 at 08:56:10 AM CST

John Tyson has it.  Whether you're pro-bingo or not, you have to admit Tyson has accomplished a lot of what he set out to do -- shut down electronic bingo in Alabama.  Country Crossings is closed.  Victoryland (with 18,000 to 20,000 electronic machines!) is closed.  And should they reopen ....

“We will exercise our rights to be present in a public place and enforce the law should we see any criminal activity,” Tyson, appointed by Gov. Bob Riley to head the task force, told the Opelika-Auburn News in an interview Thursday. “We are clearly authorized to be present.

“We were surprised they closed, but it was very effective for our purposes.”

Maybe that midnight raid wasn't such a failure after all.  The upshot is that the owners have now done what the Governor's task force had been trying to do all along -- shut down the electronic bingo machines.  They've also voluntarily shut down all their other unquestionably legal revenue sources.  I'd have to say Tyson appears to be winning so far.  And he isn't backing up a bit ...

Tyson said a raid would consist in the arrests of “management and ownership.”

“We have no comment on raids, where we act, where we might not act,” he said. “If you’re going to catch a bad guy, you have to sneak up on him a bit. If they (VictoryLand) are open, we will accept their invitation to come into a public place.”

The previous head of the task force, David Barber, resigned after Milton McGregor had him followed to a Mississippi casino, where he won a large sum. Last week McGregor revealed that Tyson had accepted a large campaign contribution from gambling interests -- McGregor -- in 2006. Tyson essentially said "Big deal."

McGregor told media outlets that Tyson asked for $150,000. Tyson said he asked for more.

“I asked for $250,000 and got $100,000,” Tyson admitted. “With the cost of statewide media for the campaign, my best recollection is a week’s worth of television commercials is about $250,000. For $100,000, you get about two days. Gov. Riley said, ‘Well John, you got (little) compared to what some others got.’ I would invite Milton McGregor to come into the sun and discuss all of his campaign contributions in the state.”

That's what gamblers call upping the ante.  The last thing bingo proponents want is Milton McGregor discussing all his campaign contributions in the cold light of day.

Alabama Supreme Court Says Gambling Raids are Fine

by: mooncat

Fri Feb 05, 2010 at 08:00:00 AM CST

The Governor's Task Force can go ahead and raid casinos believed to be using illegal gambling devices.  Those would be slot machine looking things that are supposedly electronic bingo.

Victoryland is completely closed now, hotel and all.  Country Crossing closed after the aborted raid last week and won't reopen until they can get a court ruling that their electronic bingo machines are legal.  Greenetrack is still open but has given up alcohol and tobacco licenses in the hope of preventing searches.  Closing those two large establishments completely looks like a way to maximize the economic impact in hopes of bringing pressure to bear on the Legislature. 

Speaking of which, the Sweet Home Alabama II bill is afoot.  They are proposing to tax gambling at 20% -- which is not nearly enough.  Considering that they'll undoubtedly negotiate that rate downward during the process, the going in position ought to be at least 50%, and we the taxpayers shouldn't settle for anything less than 30%.  Basically, we're giving these folks a license to come into Alabama and pick the pockets of our citizens.  They ought to be required to leave a huge chunk of the proceeds here.

Consider this an open thread for your gambling thoughts.

AG Troy King Fighting Alabama District Attorneys in Alabama Supreme Court

by: countrycat

Mon Feb 01, 2010 at 08:03:08 AM CST

There's big doings at Alabama's Supreme Court.  Not satisfied with open warfare with Governor Riley and his anti-gambling task force, Attorney General Troy King squares off against Alabama's District Attorneys.

The power struggle before the high court stems from lawsuits filed by five district attorneys, who accuse some large pharmacy companies of violating state law by filling prescriptions with generic drugs when a doctor prescribed a name brand. Some of the state's top plaintiff lawyers helped the district attorneys file the suits and would share in any winnings.

Attorney General Troy King wants to take over the suits as the state's chief law officer and have them thrown out. He has asked the Supreme Court for an order that would let him do that.

The DAs aren't taking this lying down:

The Alabama District Attorneys Association, the statewide organization for Alabama's DAs, argues that King has the authority to take over criminal cases, but not civil cases like the drug lawsuits.

In court papers, they accuse King of seeking "superpowers" that would make all district attorneys subordinate to him.

Superpowers? That's one trait that I never, ever associated with Troy King.

The undercurrent in this whole case is, of course, gambling:

The lawyers argue the drug case could determine whether King could assume control of a future gambling case brought by the task force or district attorneys, like the current task force commander, Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson.

But the real issue is much bigger, I think.  King is supposed to be Alabama's top law enforcement official, but he seems to do nothing but antagonize sheriffs, DAs, police officers, and anyone else who comes into contact with him.

Remember when Parker Griffith, Mooncat, and I attended the Twickenham Republican Women's meeting?  AG candidate Luther Strange was the main speaker and he had absolutely nothing good to say about Troy King.  

In fact, the meeting turned into somewhat of an anti-Troy king revival meeting as Madison County Sheriff Blake Dorning and Madison County DA Robert Broussard took the opportunity to "testify" about how AG King had never supported them in anything, never called them, and was more an impediment to law enforcement officials than a help.

I have video but don't have time to put it up right now.  Have to get ready to drive over to Scottsboro for the Scottsboro Boys Museum Grand Opening.  I'll try to upload some clips this afternoon and put them in the comments.

It was pretty strong stuff and Mooncat and I left the meeting thinking that Troy King seems to be toast in the primary - at least in Madison County.  However, this gambling issue seems to be one that could split the Republican party along geographic lines and officials from the Northern and Southern parts of the state square off for and against.

It's going to be a really interesting primary to watch. 

With All The Fuss...

by: sande2000

Sun Jan 31, 2010 at 05:33:58 AM CST

     With all the fuss about recent raids on a couple of bingo establishments, the atmosphere would seem right to bring up something I have already talked about on two other occasions (please read "Game-bling" and "All The Fun Is Almost Gone").  What about other gaming that is legal, but is being termed 'gambling'?

     A 'legal' poker league was being operated in Huntsville for a couple of years.  The proprietors of the league were paid by the establishments where the league was held.   None of the players placed any stake to play in the league.  It should also be mentioned that other league sponsored tournaments were held for a small entry fee with 100% payback - all legal.  As time went along, other establishments started their own poker tournaments, most of which evolved into high stakes ring games.  Well naturally, after somebody's husband lost the family's life savings, the police were alerted and came in to shut it all down - even the legal poker league.  It was reported by some patrons that a police officer made the statement, "If there are chips on the table, it is gambling".  Right?  Wrong.  The poker league proprietors had a legal business, with a businees license, for which taxes were being paid.  A part of their livelyhood and that of some establishments was taken away - illegally - by law enforcement lumping them in with a crackdown on illicit operations.  In fact, with the economy slowdown as such, one establishment was forced to close down because the patrons of the league were one of the things helping to keep them afloat.  The league operators have so far chosen not to make any waves, but I urge them and any attorneys worth their salt to take issue with the action taken by police and file a lawsuit.

     I was a member of an internet poker site that was not gambling.  Members pay for a subscription to play in as many tournaments as they choose.  There is never any stake, or gambling, to play in any of the tournaments - no entry fees, no rebuys, no add-ons.  This differs from a deposit site (illegal by federal law) where one must deposit more funds when their deposit monies have been exhausted from gambling there.  Well, I and other members from our illustrious state were informed last February that Alabama's sweepstakes law does not allow us to participate as paid subscribers.  What?  It is not gambling!  

     It is absurd that Alabama and a few other states continue to get away with infringing on taxpayers civil liberties, legislating morality and interfering with the citizen's right to spend their hard earned dollars to whatever end.  Nevermind that taxing gambling may not provide enormous sums of money for the state's coffers, or that gambling may lead to widespread social ills and corruption in the government.  What about the legal gaming activities that the state and local governments could be or have been making revenues off of, regardless of the size of the sum, that they are now prohibiting for nothing more than spite or the application of outdated laws?             

Houston Commission Chair: Raids 'one of largest abuses of power ... in history of our state'

by: mediagadfly

Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 22:33:35 PM CST

Artur Davis and Ron Sparks on Gambling and the Attempted Casino Raids

by: mooncat

Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 17:15:00 PM CST

Both Artur Davis and Ron Sparks have released statements in the wake of last evening's bungled raid attempts on the Country Crossings and Victoryland gambling establishments. Both are of the opinion that the late night raids are the wrong approach to dealing with these establishments and both reference the state's high unemployment rate. 

The conflict over electronic bingo in Alabama arises because the definition of what is and is not legal gaming is open to different interpretations with the Governor (and the Supreme Court, I believe) on one side and the Attorney General and casino owners on the other.  Hence the creation of the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling and the attempted raids on casinos, the object of which is to seize electronic bingo machines, also known as illegal slot machines.  

In my opinion, this entire mess is some kind of elaborate political theater.  However, it's not yet clear what the various factions hope to gain by putting on such a public show or what the final act will bring. 

Statements from the Democratic gubernatorial candidates :

ARTUR DAVIS: MIDNIGHT RAIDS THAT LEAVE THOUSANDS OF WORKERS UNEMPLOYED ARE NOT ANSWER

“I recognize that Alabamians are deeply divided over gambling, and that the law is all too unclear on what kind of gaming is legal in our state. But midnight raids that leave thousands of workers unemployed are not the answer. Alabama voters should have an opportunity to participate in a statewide vote that would clarify the legal definition of gaming. Then, each county should make its own choice as to whether it wants gaming facilities within its borders. Ultimately, the citizens of Houston County and Macon County should be the judge of whether Country Crossing and VictoryLand survive. I will never believe that we go wrong letting the people decide.”

Commissioner Ron Sparks' Statement Regarding Early Morning Raids

 "This is an outrageous waste of limited state resources designed to kill thousands of jobs for working Alabamians," Sparks said. "We need to use the state's resources to protect our jobs and create new ones. This insanity needs to stop. Instead of spending money to take jobs away we need to tax gaming to educate our children. The state is broke and we are wasting money to kill jobs at a time of 11 percent unemployment. When I'm governor I will encourage, not discourage, job growth in Alabama and make sure our kids get the education and care they deserve."

Since gambling is very much in the news today, countrycat has pulled together video of both Sparks and Davis making more detailed remarks on the broader issue of gambling, economic impact, taxation, the lottery and the wisdom of midnight raids on casinos.  See it on the flip.

Raids on Country Crossing AND Victoryland?

by: mooncat

Fri Jan 29, 2010 at 03:26:46 AM CST

We all knew the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling was likely to raid Country Crossing in search of illegal electronic bingo machines (or slots, if you prefer) soon, but there are strong rumors afoot that the raid is imminent and -- and this is a big new twist -- that Victoryland in Macon County will also be raided.

Country Crossing has asked all patrons to leave and the doors have been chained shut.

Victoryland is a huge portion of the economy of Macon County, just as Country Crossing hopes to become established as a huge part of the economy of Houston County and the surrounding area. About a year ago Milton McGregor unveiled a 56,000 square foot expansion of the Victoryland complex.

During the ribbon cutting, McGregor praised numerous people -- from employees to department heads, construction workers, stockholders, public officials and his family -- for support of VictoryLand and its ongoing expansion to the tune of $100 million.

Not only did he talk about the new gaming room opened Monday, he noted that hopefully by June a 14,000-square foot seafood restaurant with the world’s largest oyster bar will be in operation. A large top-of-the-line steakhouse is also in the works.

...

VictoryLand has paid nearly $200 million in taxes since it opened as a greyhound track in 1984.

The gambling issue in Alabama is coming to a head.  Whether you want expansion of gambling, just taxation and regulation or to ban it altogether, it's pretty clear that the current tug-of-war is untenable.

Alabama Gambling Thread

by: mooncat

Wed Jan 27, 2010 at 08:19:52 AM CST

A hearing is scheduled today to discuss legal issues related to issuance of a search warrant for Country Crossing (bingo) and attempts to block execution of that warrant. 

The argument for Country Crossing seems to be that the state doesn't know how the bingo machines work so they don't have actual knowledge of legal activity on which to base a warrant.  The Gambling Task Force argument is that, “no law allows a criminal suspect to challenge (or even know about) a search warrant before it is executed” and basically, the time for Country Crossing to defend itself is after the search has been conducted and charges (if any) have been filed.

[Circuit Judge Jeffrey] Brock has ordered a hearing on Barber’s motion Wednesday at 9 a.m. If Brock rules in favor of the motion to vacate the hearing, then no further hearing will be held concerning HEDA’s motion to quash the search warrant. If he rules against Barber’s motion, then a hearing on the motion to quash will follow immediately.

In other news, it turns out that about $100,000 of the $1 million plus newly appointed Gambling Task Force head John Tyson raised to run for AG in 2006 came from gambling interest PACs -- laundered through another PAC, as is so common (and legal) in Alabama politics.

Milton McGregor, owner of VictoryLand, the state's largest casino, cited the contributions as evidence that Tyson is working to help Indian casinos. McGregor has made similar accusations against [Governor Bob] Riley and Barber.

"This is another clear example ... that Riley has selected two people, both of which are just like Riley -- they are in bed with the Indians," McGregor said. "All three of these people should resign."

In the example cited by the Press-Register, Tyson's campaign received $10,000 from Watch PAC:

Watch PAC's five contributors included the Poarch Creek Indians PAC of Atmore; the Macon County Greyhound PAC of Shorter; the Jefferson County Racing Association PAC of Montgomery; Greentrack of Eutaw and High Street PAC of Montgomery.

That undercuts McGregor's argument somewhat, since those are all Alabama pro-gambling interests.  Nevertheless, this is bound to be an interesting few days on the gambling front.  

Riley Appoints John Tyson as Top Gambling Enforcer

by: mooncat

Mon Jan 25, 2010 at 17:05:01 PM CST

This is guaranteed to get AG Troy King's drawers in a wad.

Mobile County DA John Tyson takes over antigambling task force

Actually, Troy's drawers have been in a wad ever since Bob Riley created the illegal gambling task force.  Tough tacos, Troy.  If you'd do your damned job the governor wouldn't need to create law enforcement teams to work around you.

Riley needed a new head for the Task Force on Illegal Gambling because the old one, David Barber, had a (swear I'm not making this up) gambling problem.  Gambling magnate Milton McGregor had Barber followed to a Mississippi casino, where he won around $2000, and allegedly threatened to make that knowledge public.  Barber subsequently resigned.

Bob Riley's appointments seldom please me, but John Tyson is an excellent choice for this job, provided Riley is serious about gambling enforcement in this state.  As DA of Mobile County -- a job he isn't stepping down from -- he's demonstrated that outside pressure will not dictate which cases he pursues.  He was also Troy King's Democratic opponent in 2006.  I think this means, "Look out Country Crossings!"

David Barber, Commander of the Governor's Gambling Taskforce, resigned today.

by: Sundog

Fri Jan 15, 2010 at 20:35:23 PM CST

David Barber, former District Attorney of Jefferson County, admitted to gambling in Mississippi. He admitted that he recently won 2300 dollars. What a hypocrite.

Country Crossing, the newest electronic bingo entertainment place, just opened in Dothan at 5 PM. They are poised to be raided after the Supreme Court vacated a Temporary Restraining Order against the raid Riley planned.

Look for no electronic gambling in Alabama unless Milton McGregor files something somewhere quickly.

My point in posting this is to point out that we could be taxing these establishments at a very high rate to support Alabama.

I am not advocating for electronic bingo, simply pointing out the hypocrisy of the Republicans. 

[Riley's press release below the fold -- mooncat]

States See Gambling Revenues Shrink Due to Poor Economy, Increased Competition

by: mooncat

Tue Dec 08, 2009 at 14:18:20 PM CST

As I've said before, if Alabama goes whole hog for gambling revenue, we'll be getting in on the backside of a trend -- that doesn't mean it won't bring in anything, but we shouldn't base revenue predictions on pre-competition, pre-Great Recession performance in neighboring states.

States go all in to get a shot at gambling gold ...

Pennsylvania is happily raking in a precious pile of cash from its new casinos, with hundreds of millions of dollars stolen away from a now-struggling Atlantic City.

But soon it may be Pennsylvania's pocket that is picked by a neighbor.

Ohio last month became the latest revenue-starved state to approve gaming, and thousands of Ohioans who now gamble in Pittsburgh and Erie County may instead stay home once casinos are built in 2012.

Connecticut, with tribal casinos, is fretting that its neighbor Massachusetts will approve gaming in January. Maine and New Hampshire are also exploring it. Kansas will open its first casino next week. And Delaware will have table games by spring.

"You can pretty much go anywhere," observed Jim Salvador, 45, a suburban New Yorker working a slot machine on a half-empty gaming floor at Caesars Atlantic City.

"If I get a comped room and dinner, that's all I care about."

Facing dire budget shortfalls, growing numbers of states are fighting over a shrinking pot of gaming revenue, with economic consequences that few could have imagined.

Last year, casino gambling revenue in the 12 states with commercial casinos dropped for the first time since Nevada legalized it in 1931 - from $34.1 billion in 2007 to $32.5 billion.

...

Lucy Dadayan, a senior policy analyst at the State University of New York's Rockefeller Institute of Government, said states place risky bets when they rely on gambling to shore up budgets.

Gambling revenue, she said, usually doesn't keep pace with the programs they're supposed to fund.

"In addition, as gambling is becoming more widespread geographically, states are essentially looking into the same pot of money."

Emphasis mine.

I don't see how gambling creates wealth.  How it redistributes it is obvious, but is that enough to make a dent in Alabama's budget problems?  Especially if Alabama gaming establishments have to rely mainly on traffic from Alabama residents?

Ron Sparks Talks about the Education Lottery, Gambling Tax and Alabama's Need for Revenue

by: mooncat

Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 12:10:58 PM CST

This is the second post arising from an interview we conducted with Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks on Nov. 12 -- the first installment was Ron Sparks - Important to be Proactive and Protect the Citizens of Alabama.  Video and transcript excerpts are below the fold.

Proposals for an education lottery and increased gambling revenue have been central to Ron Sparks' argument to become our next governor, so I felt strongly that we should try to get an accurate sense of exactly what he wants to do in those areas.  The Lifestart Scholarship Lottery Sparks proposes would direct lottery proceeds to higher education.

Every high school student with a "C" or better average will be guaranteed a scholarship to a public Alabama University, two year college, or technical program of their choice.  All others who graduate or earn a GED will be guaranteed a technical or trade education.  

His gambling proposal would "regulate, tax and control" gambling in the state:

When I'm governor, we will establish a gaming commission that will regulate all gaming operations in the state.  We will tax gambling and use the proceeds to support Medicaid, the Special Education Trust Fund, and to create a special relief fund for agriculture. And we will let the voters decide whether or not they want casinos in their county.

Sparks believes Alabama will face even more budget difficulties in 2011 and beyond, after the federal stimulus funds run out, so he is looking for ways to bring in additional revenue.  Taxing and expanding gambling is the way he proposes to find that additional revenue stream.  Follow below the fold to hear Commissioner Sparks talk about the lottery and gambling revenue in his own words.

Plagiarism

by: mooncat

Fri Oct 02, 2009 at 23:48:27 PM CDT

Plagiarism, as defined in the 1995 Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary, is the "use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work."

Source.

Why the definition?  It's inspired by the latest finely honed piece of creative writing press release from the Sparks for Governor campaign, just in time to catch the all important Friday evening news cycle:

In today's Montgomery Advertiser we read that Davis has completely flip-flopped on the gambling issue.  "As governor,  (Davis) will tax and regulate existing gambling in Alabama."   Davis plagiarized the Sparks platform without changing one word!

OMG!  Not one word!  Is it wise for someone who is essentially recycling former Gov. Don Siegelman's education lottery idea (his thoughts, you might say) to complain of plagiarism?  And if it's plagiarism now, why wasn't this plagiarism 3 months ago in Dothan?

SPARKS:  ...  When I’m elected governor, we’re going to regulate it, we’re going to control it, and we’re going to tax it and we’re going to give you an opportunity to vote on it.

DAVIS:  ...  We ought to say to Alabama industries that you can compete with the Indian casinos but here’s what we’re gonna do.  Instead of taxing you at a special discount rate, we‘re going to tax you at the rate that other states tax their gaming facilities.  We’re going to regulate you.  We’re going to appoint a commission with teeth to make sure this doesn’t become the next big source of corruption in Alabama.

I'm just asking, because the plagiarism charge looks goofy as hell in this context.

Gambling for Alabama

by: mooncat

Mon Sep 14, 2009 at 08:22:08 AM CDT

Gambling corrupts government. The large sums of money generated by gambling are often used to bribe state and local officials, and to put people into office who favor gambling.

A New York Times editorial noted, "Gambling is a business so rich, so fast, so powerful, and perhaps inevitably so unsavory, that it cannot help but undermine government."

In addition to the corruption it brings, gambling hurts a state's economy. It takes money which could be invested, loaned, used to start businesses, etc., and puts it in the pockets of multimillionaire owners of gambling establishments.

Alabama is the Wild West when it comes to money in politics. We all know Milton McGregor (who has made a fortune through greyhound racing) is a force when it comes to political contributions -- because he can afford to give and give generously. Do we need more big gambling contributors in Alabama politics? And a secondary question: would we have more big gambling contributors or would the ones we already have simply expand their operations and get bigger and more powerful?  

Are Casinos the Answer to Alabama's Problems?

by: mooncat

Fri Aug 28, 2009 at 12:48:22 PM CDT

Gambling -- and not just the Lifestart education lottery, but expanded casino gambling -- has become the centerpiece of Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks' (D) gubernatorial campaign. He want's to "tax it, regulate it, and control it" but he also wants us to have more of it. Casinos on the banks of the Alabama River in Selma, casinos near the domed stadium (if any) in Birmingham, casinos in Montgomery and Mobile. In short, casinos just about everywhere except North Alabama.

The idea has no shortage of skeptics, such as the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.

A losing bet for Alabama

It's too early to know whether Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks is a viable candidate for governor or not. But he's running on a spectacularly bad idea for prettying up the state's grim fiscal picture: casino gambling.

[snip]

Up what progress and prosperity indexes has Mississippi rocketed since the casinos sprang up on the Gulf coast? How generously has the wealth been spread around in New Jersey since Atlantic City brought in the slots and blackjack tables? How has the money pouring into Vegas and Reno alleviated Nevada's record 12.5 percent unemployment rate?

What kinds of jobs, with what kinds of benefits, do casinos provide most of their workers, and how much do local economies reap from the gambling glitter domes that remake community landscapes?

All The Fun Is Almost Gone

by: sande2000

Sun Aug 09, 2009 at 03:56:44 AM CDT