Judge halts state raid of big Alabama bingo center
Jan 06, 2010 | 1134 views | 9 
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A restraining order was signed at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, just hours before Gov. Bob Riley's antigambling task force was expected to raid Country Crossing, an $87 million bingo and entertainment pavilion just south of Dothan.
Houston County Commissioner Mark Culver sought the order, contending a raid could harm a bond issue of up to $70 million tied to revenues from Country Crossing. The Dothan Eagle reported that the order was signed by Circuit Judge P.B. McLauchlin and delivered by Culver at 2:30 a.m. to David Barber, special prosecutor for the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling.
Country Crossing officials had closed the pavilion Tuesday night after Houston County officials were told of the planned raid. Investigators were expected to confiscate about 1,700 electronic bingo machines.
Riley has said the machines don't meet court-ordered standards to abide by state law, which bars slot machines. Project backers say the allegations are political and that there has been no court finding that the Country Crossing machines are illegal.
McLaughlin scheduled a Jan. 20 hearing on his restraining order against a state raid.
"To stand here and look at this dark facility and to know it could have been handled so differently is frustrating," Culver said at an impromptu press conference at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. "We have an obligation to protect economic development in Houston County and we will continue to do so."
The Eagle reported that about 20 Country Crossing supporters came to the development in anticipation of the raid Wednesday morning, holding homemade signs, some which read "Country crossing gave me my first job" and "Impeach Riley."
McLauchlin's restraining order was based in part on the multimillion-dollar bond issue related to the Country Crossing development. McLaughlin said any seizure of bingo machines at Country Crossing "would do irreparable harm" to the ability to pay the bond indebtedness.
Riley has said a judgment from the Alabama Supreme Court last month defining bingo should have removed any confusion on the issue at Country Crossing and other bingo halls around the state.
Country Crossing and other Alabama casinos don't have slot machines, but they are filled with electronic bingo machines that resemble slots with their flashing lights and quick play.
Riley's communications director, Jeff Emerson, did not immediately return a call Wednesday.
Tug
People in Alabama are gambling. The GA line is full of people from AL. Dog tracks and all the other gaming centers are all over AL. My mother catches the bus to MS all the time. Not to mention people gambling illicitly on football boards. Far better to bring these out of the shadows and let the state make some money taxing it if you ask me.
If Riley is truly governing based on his religious beliefs, then that is truly a shame. That has contributed to holding AL back all these years. I'm not one to tread on anyone's religious beliefs. I just think those should be kept out of political theater.
I think that a person should be able to spend his money however he wants.
I do not think it is governments place to tell me I can't buy a lottery ticket, play "bingo," roll dice at the crap table, play cards, etc.
As you know I am a liberal. It is not my place to say a person can't buy a lottery ticket. The only reason I would want to do that is if I wanted to control the other person's behavior.
I have a good friend who tells me that he saw a person buy a lottery ticket with a dollar, then paid for his food with food stamps at the check out counter. That doesn't bother me. Why? Well what gives me the right to say what he can do? I waste money and I'm sure you do too. But I still ride on the roads that the government gives us here in Alabama where we get back about $1.65 for every $1.00 we pay to the federal government. What is the difference?
Should I not buy a lottery ticket because I am riding on roads that the taxpayers have paid for?
And another thing, kl brown, who is running for Lea Fite's seat in the state legislature, said in a public meeting that he was against gambling because he talked to people in other states that said it was causing problems in those states. Give me a break. If he had said that the unemployment rate, the welfare rate, etc. was lower in AL than MS or GA or FL or TN and given actual figures to back it up then I would listen to him.
I don't know what the figures are in those states. Why doesn't someone give us some figures to show they are worse off than we are.
I say let every person live their life without government interference, except for public safety, defense, education, health care, etc.
AHS1960
PS. I'm sure I will see something I would like to correct once this comment is posted, but because of the Star's poor choice of a forum provider, I won't be able to do so.
Riley is either exerting his religious beliefs, IMO, or he is listening to those who have those beliefs. I say make gambling legal and regulate and tax it. Had people rather see that than cock fights and dog fights? Of course we would still have some of that but we should take some of the tax money and crack down on that too.