(Thanks for adding context to the statement of these candidates. - promoted by mooncat)
Last week, gubernatorial candidates Ron Sparks and Dr. Robert Bentley appeared on WSFA 12 news in Montgomery to discuss the gambling issue. Listen below.
We have all seen that Alabama's bingo laws are a mess. They're a hodgepodge of piecemeal, county by county attempts that were mostly written with old fashioned paper and ping-pong ball bingo in mind. Now they're stretched like Silly Putty as we attempt to apply them to electronic machines that look more at home in Las Vegas than in the community room of the Methodist Church.
Most importantly, under those laws, bingo was supposed to be for charity. Literally, church bingo with the proceeds going to the mission fund, Shriner bingo to benefit children's hospitals or whatever. As it became obvious there was potentially a hopper load of money at stake, enterprising folks began to set up charities so they could benefit from big-time bingo, or they set up big-time bingo operations to go with their charities. We saw that situation in North Alabama where an animal shelter became very closely associated with a bingo operation. Funny thing, they were still always short of donations even though parking overflowed into the streets on bingo nights. And those were the days when it was all paper bingo, with folks brandishing highlighter pens playing fifteen cards at a time.
The stakes are higher these days (hundreds of millions) because electronic bingo machines can have games going 24/7, not just Friday and Saturday nights, but it's still supposed to be charity bingo. How do the smart folks get around the requirement to send the proceeds to charity? They're paying expenses, high expenses, that's how. A steel Butler building can rent for more than the most exclusive retail property in the city. Sky high salaries, often paid to family or business associates. And that's just the small operators. In Macon County, the charities simply contracted with Victoryland to operate bingo games on their behalf -- for a flat fee that amounts to less than 1% of the take. Yes, I suppose 0.8% of $160 million seems like a hell of a lot of money to those charities, but it's crystal clear they are leaving a lot of money on the table for Milton McGregor and his investors.
No one argues that inaction is the right course for lawmakers. As it is, the crooks have moved in and Alabama's bingo/gambling laws must be overhauled to clean up the game. The argument comes at how they should be revamped and who will write the final regulations.
We know from experience that if you leave the details to a handful of people, the crooks will take over through bribes and payoffs. There's huge money involved for the operators and potentially for the taxpayers if we get this right. Charity bingo has been a windfall for purveyors, but not for charities and legalized, tax-paying bingo shouldn't go down that same path. The rules need to be simple, transparent and aimed at making sure the taxpayers get their (large) cut off the top so there's no more incentive to pad expenses and pay off regulators. Crooks will always be with us, but they shouldn't always get to run the show.
There's a split in the Democratic party, and it isn't between people who think gambling should be legal, taxed and regulated and those who don't. It's between those who believe claim gambling is the only hope to lift Alabamians out of poverty and those who think there are more effective, efficient ways to create economic opportunity.
"This is our hope, our only hope for a better future."
What makes the viewpoint so sad is the fact it contains, at least for now, a big dollop of truth. Greenetrack is providing jobs, revenues and scholarships in an impoverished county that doesn't have much else.
But sadder still is the fact so many people in Greene County have been led to believe gambling is their only possible savior.
Yes, Greenetrack has pumped millions of dollars into local government coffers and other worthy causes. But the sad truth is that after more than three decades of Greenetrack, Greene County remains, as Rogers noted, one of Alabama's poorest places. That's because whatever you think about the morality of gambling enterprises, the math only works when far more people lose than win. This is a business that pays off handsomely for a few at the expense of a great many others.
Greene County is part of Alabama's 7th Congressional District. Democratic candidate Terri Sewell issued this statement last night:
I am deeply disappointed by the Governor's and the court's efforts regarding Greentrack. It is my understanding that Greentrack has made a consistent effort to follow the rules and regulations as established by the Legislature and the Governor's office.
In a time of economic hardship, one of the worst environmental disaster's to hit our coast, soaring budget deficits and unemployment, I find it hard to believe that harassing a local businessman and community leader is the best use of the state's time. This issue is about more than politics, it profoundly affects the livelihood of thousands of Alabamians. Greentrack is the largest single employer in Greene County, and has a history of active community involvement and support for fire protection, and youth programs, and other organizations that improve the quality of life in Greene County.
Closing Greentrack will have an immediate, devastating effect on Greene County's economy and I am strongly against any moves to do so.
Working in a casino isn't the best job in the world, or even close to it, but it is a job in a region where work is scarce. The political bluff and bluster over bingo masks a real human tragedy in rural Alabama -- widespread, tenacious poverty.
For a moment, lets look at the positive statistics based on education lottery in Georgia.
According to their website www.galottery.com/education it says, "Since inception, more than $5 billion in lottery proceeds has been appropriated and distributed to more than 1.2 million HOPE Scholarship recipients."
Do we understand fully the impact it could have on the number of people going to college? Furthermore, they also have a state funded pre-K program which is solely funded using lottery money.
The Lottery scholarship is good for many reasons:
1. It keeps students in-state by only giving them the funds if they choose to go to a private or public university in the state.
2. It promotes good study habits and a hard work ethic by saying that only students with a 3.0 gpa in high school maybe eligible for the scholarship
3. It boosts our morale because more people are becoming more educated due to the fact they have funds to pursue higher edcuation
4. Our state is finally taking some initiative to improve our education system instead of constantly cutting funds and reducing teacher units.
Furthermore, the lottery and legalizing gambling could work hand in hand. The regulations and taxes from casinos and bingo halls could be allocated to the education fund, not all of the money but a portion of it. This could help teachers to buy extra supplies for their classrooms, or provide school supplies to children at little to no cost. Why not implement these things and keep the money in Alabama? For example, I bought a lottery ticket in Florida a couple of weeks ago while I was at the beach. If Alabama had the lottery, I would buy a ticket here and the money would stay in our state instead of going to Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee!
No matter who becomes governor, I hope they begin to take an initiative on education because we have sat back for too long twiddling our thumbs and watching us continually sit at the bottom statistically in education for years! We have some of the brightest people in the nation and that is evident through the space program, Mercedes, and numerous other plants and facilities.
I know what one might say, "Ron Sparks wants to do all this." Yes, he does but that is the only thing he is campaigning on. I also want to know about what he wants to do to create jobs and boost our economy. What does he want to do about infrastructure and creating main industrial highways that connect Memphis to Atlanta through Alabama? I want to know these things, but he simply wants to campaign solely on lottery and thats an issue that I don't think he can win on (i.e. Sigelman 1999).
It is time for us to begin to move forward in Alabama instead of taking a back seat in this country. We did not even participate in the "Race to the Top" program which was an education initiative. Instead we watched as Tennessee was awarded $500,000 to use in their education departments. We need someone who is going to be a progressive thinker and not continue to set Alabama back!
Yes, we need an Education Lottery. Yes, We need legalized gambling. Yes, we need a progressive thinker!
Its time for our voice to be heard!!
Get to the polls on June 1st!
I am tired of backwards thinking, lets progress Alabama into the Future!!
It is increasingly clear that the illegal gambling debate isn't about gambling anymore. It's about corruption. It's about making sure our system can't be manipulated and corrupted by a few powerful people bent on taking Alabama for all it's worth.
Legislative officials have confirmed that Sens. Jim Preuitt (D-Talladega), Bobby Denton (D-Muscle Shoals) and Larry Means (D-Gadsden) were questioned by the FBI about their votes Tuesday. Denton and Preuitt voted in favor of the so-called Simple Bingo Bill, after voting against Bedford’s original “Sweet Home Alabama Bill.” Means did not vote on either measure. ...
The Democratic leadership issued a statement confirming the meeting took place. Lt. Gov. Jim Folson, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Zeb Little, Senate Minority Leader Jabo Waggoner, House Speaker Seth Hammett, Democratic Majority Leader Ken Guin and Hubbard were all present at the meeting in the state Department of Public Safety offices.
Is legalized casino gambling, with its associated state and local tax revenue, really a silver bullet to solve our state's economic woes?
When I wrote about poverty in Perry County, Alabama a while back I was intrigued by this figure from the U.S. Census Bureau. It appears that poverty in Mississippi -- land of gambling tax revenues -- is even worse than here in Alabama. And in fact it is. How can that be?
Casino gambling was legalized in Mississippi back in 1990 and the first casino opened in August, 1992. If gambling is such a great economic driver, shouldn't they be doing better than we are by now?
Let's take a closer look at this, starting with the situation in Mississippi before gambling was legalized. Since 1989 figures are readily available, we'll start then, just before gambling was legalized. According to U.S. Census data, 13.1% of Americans lived in poverty in 1989. That figure was 24.1% for Mississippi residents and 17.7% for Alabama.
In 1989, 80 of 82 Mississippi counties (97.6%) exceeded the national average for residents living in poverty. The poverty rate topped 40% in 14 Mississippi counties, with a whopping 56.8% of residents in Tunica County living below the poverty line. The median household income (see this page for median income tables) was $20,136, just 67% of the national average.
At the same time, 64 of 67 Alabama counties (95.6%) exceeded the national average for poverty with 3 counties over 40%, the highest was Greene County at 45.6%. The median household income was $23,597 or 78.5% of the national average.
Fast forward to 2008.How have the two states fared, one with casino gambling (Mississippi now has 29 casinos) and one more or less without? Bear in mind that Mississippi has done gambling right; their casinos are tourist destinations, not just gambling parlors dedicated to harvesting money from local residents. The US Census data says 13.2% of Americans lived in poverty in 2008. That figure was 20.8% for Mississippi residents and 15.9% for Alabama.
Still, 80 of 82 Mississippi counties (97.6%) exceeded the national average for residents living in poverty. The poverty rate topped out at 48.1% in Issaquena County and exceeded 30% in 15 others. The median household income was $37,790 or 72.6% of the national average.
In 2008, 57 of 67 Alabama counties (85%) exceeded the national average for poverty with 6 counties over 30% (none over 40%) the highest is Bullock County at 33.6%. The median household income was $42,666 or 82% of the national average. It may have seemed like Alabama was standing still, but we've made real progress since 1989.
Different approaches to economic development.
While the state of Mississippi opened casinos and built riverboats, Alabama built automobile plants – Mercedes, Honda, Hyundai, the Toyota engine plant – a rocket plant in Decatur, aviation and aircraft maintenance in South Alabama, not to mention catfish farms throughout the Black Belt and biotechnology in North Alabama. Those industries create things, they employ people for good wages and they come with a network of smaller support businesses that also employ people. To put it in old fashioned terms, they grow the local economy.
After construction, except for the tourism component, casinos don’t grow the local economy. They harvest dollars that are already available in the system. Most of the jobs created are service jobs, with relatively low wages. The economic impact is localized, not spread around in a network of suppliers.
Alabama started off in a stronger economic position than Mississippi in 1989 and has at least kept pace with Mississippi’s progress since then, even without casino gambling. There’s a lot to be said for good, old-fashioned economic investment to create jobs and improve lives. It isn’t as sexy as casinos, but Alabama should be thankful for the industrial recruitment of Governors like Jim Folsom, Jr. and Don Siegelman and the increased prosperity their vision has brought to our state.
Now, what's the next step to keep us ahead of Mississippi? Is it widespread casino gambling or high tech/green tech/smart tech industries?
By nature, a wounded animal lashes out at anything nearby. It's the same with a political campaign, as we've seen with Ron Sparks' most recent press releases.
This morning's nasty-gram from Ron Sparks campaign was full of outrage that Artur Davis hasn't been working to get the feds to allow more gambling in Alabama. Emphasis mine:
That someone who could be working to get gaming in Alabama on a federal level has done NOTHING. That Mr. Harvard hasn't lifted the first finger to get gaming in Alabama. That's embarrassing.
Excuse me, when did gambling become a federal issue in Alabama?
Probably yesterday, when George Altman of the Mobile Press-Register reported that Ron Sparks had embarrassed himself by being totally unaware that some gambling is prohibited by federal law, so the Legislature can't simply legalize sports betting with the stroke of a pen -- or yet another constitutional amendment.
In a telephone interview Tuesday, Sparks said he thought the state could legalize sports betting through a constitutional amendment.
However, a bill passed by Congress in 1992 restricts such gambling to the four states that already had laws allowing it at that time: Delaware, Montana, Nevada and Oregon.
"You may know something that I don't, and I'm just being honest with you," Sparks told the Press-Register when asked about the federal law. "I don't know if there's an opportunity, but I think I've said time after time, I'm perfectly willing to look at all of it."
Now you might think the guy who sends out press releases every day* claiming he has a PLAN would have done some research, read the law, run the numbers and laid out an actual step by step plan for how to make this gambling paradise a reality -- a legal reality, as opposed to the current hodgepodge causing all the bingo turmoil now. Wrong. What Ron Sparks has is a concept, not a plan. There's a difference. A concept is an idea of where you want to go. A plan is how to get there. Sparks has already told us he doesn't have a plan B ... now plan A looks sketchy, at best.
Sparks is hanging Alabama's entire future on gambling. He should have done some homework on the issue. He's not just proposing a lottery for education or legalizing electronic bingo (aka, slot machines) anymore, he wants Alabama to go the full Las Vegas route complete with card games, roulette, craps, and sports betting. That last requires action at the federal level.
Two days ago Sparks didn't even know the feds had anything to do with gambling laws. Today it's his opponent's fault they haven't already been changed. Confused yet? Don't worry, it doesn't have to make sense to be in a press release from Team Sparks. Need proof? Cast your eyes on the rant they shipped to the media this afternoon.
As Alex Gophart, [sic] Davis spokesman said, “Mister Daaaaaavis is a doctor of laws from HAARRRVARDD and cannot be bothered by simplistic meanderings of voters “hypnotized” by the garish lights of such mechanics. Mister Daaaavis does not have the time for such triviality. This would be considered ill-mannered and coarse to ask on the YAAARRDDDD. So common and uncouth to even ask. Hrrrrmmmph.”
I am not making this up. They sent this to media outlets across Alabama and a few other places. With a made up "quote" about a Harvard education.
Does anyone else find it ironic and more than a little dishonest that the candidate who promises to give every Alabama kid a college scholarship (albeit a very small one) is mocking his opponent's college education?What does that say about the kind of vision Ron Sparks really has for Alabama?
I'm seeing casinos, bookies, garish lights, slot machines in the grocery stores (just like Las Vegas), maybe the odd show girl -- and a place where a good education is something to ridicule, not aspire to.
Democrats are better than that, folks. Alabama is better than that. I thought Ron Sparks was better than that. So much for a clean campaign on issues. It's apparently true that Ron Sparks' campaign will go as negative as they can afford to go against Artur Davis. Thankfully, all Sparks can afford right now is press releases ... can you imagine what the TV ads will be like?
* That photo of Sparks is the one the Press-Register chose to accompany their story. It's hard to imagine a less flattering one. Perhaps it's a sign that journalists losing patience with the two-a-day press releases that seem to have been written by a particularly obnoxious 5th grader while high on grandma's moonshine.
"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?
Tyson's made d@mned sure he won't be elected to anything in Mobile County. The City of Chickasaw opened a bingo facility yesterday, and Tyson raided it:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 County Commission Chairman Mark Culver blasted Governor Bob Riley in a press release earlier this evening, suggesting Governor Riley is "obsessed" with shutting down County Crossing "at any cost." The release -- identified as his personal thoughts, and not those of the commission he chairs -- condemns this morning's raids in some strong language, to say the least.
Culver campaigned for Riley in 2002 and 2006, and he's also one of Houston County's representatives on the ALGOP Executive Committee. More recently he's garnered some notoriety as a staunch opponent of the raid on Country Crossing.
It's not the first time Culver and the Governor's office have exchanged words either. Commissioner Culver helped secure the restraining order that halted the first Country Crossing earlier this month before the state Supreme Court intervened.
His support for the business is primarily based on the jobs and economic boons brought to the area. Today's release is no different; Culver cites the state unemployment rate and recounts calls from single moms concerned over the potential loss of their jobs.
WTVY out of Dothan cites a University of Alabama criminal justice professor's assessment of the costs of this morning's operation, putting them at around $130,000. More than two hundred state troopers were mobilized for the unsuccessful raids. Given the questionable state of our budget, is this really the best way to handle the issue?
It's been a fascinating month to say the least as the state watches this issue unfold. It will be interesting to see if this missive from Commissioner Culver creates any more waves, particularly when paired with today's state Supreme Court ruling in St. Clair overturning a local Ashville amendment that allowed for a wider variety of bingo games than the traditional paper card.
Full text of Culver's letter (with highlights from me and some related links) below the fold.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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We have all seen that 
Most importantly, under those laws, bingo was supposed to be for charity. Literally, church bingo with the proceeds going to the mission fund, Shriner bingo to benefit children's hospitals or whatever. As it became obvious there was potentially a hopper load of money at stake, enterprising folks began to set up charities so they could benefit from big-time bingo, or they set up big-time bingo operations to go with their charities. We saw that situation in North Alabama where an animal shelter became very closely associated with a bingo operation. Funny thing, they were still always short of donations even though parking overflowed into the streets on bingo nights. And those were the days when it was all 
There's a split in the Democratic party, and it isn't between people who think gambling should be legal, taxed and regulated and those who don't. It's between those who 
When I wrote about 
Probably yesterday, when George Altman of the Mobile Press-Register reported that Ron Sparks had embarrassed himself by being totally unaware that 
