BINGO: Electronic games bill passes Alabama Senate

By PHILLIP RAWLS

MONTGOMERY, Ala.

Advocates of electronic bingo casinos lined up winning numbers Tuesday night in the Alabama Senate to pass legislation that protects the games from raids and taxes and regulates them.

The Senate collected the exact number of yes votes needed -- 21 -- for the measure to pass with 13 nays. The proposed constitutional amendment must be approved by the House and then Alabama voters in a referendum on Nov. 2 before it can take effect.

The sponsor, Sen. Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, said the state's financial problems helped give the bill a second chance after it stalled earlier in the session.

"We need the hundreds of millions of dollars of voluntary revenue that will come from electronic bingo," he said.

Gov. Bob Riley called the bill "the most corrupt piece of legislation ever considered by the Senate" because he said it will allow gambling to expand to potentially every community.

Opponents and proponents agreed the bill faces a tough time in the House. "The commitments we have against it in the House are more dependable that some we have in the Senate," said the Rev. Dan Ireland, founder of the antigambling Alabama Citizen Project.

Electronic bingo has become one of the hottest issues in Alabama since the Republican governor formed his task force and accused electronic bingo casinos of operating illegal slot machines. Some casinos closed for fear of being raided and started fighting back in the Legislature and courts.

"It's time we end these nighttime raids without search warrants or subpoenas," Bedford said.

Bedford's bill is different from the version he originally offered two months ago.

The new bill no longer specifies 10 locations for electronic bingo casinos. The locations would be decided by the Legislature in a special session in January.

The bill would levy a minimum tax of 25 percent on the revenue left after a casino pays winner, and it would establish a five-member commission to regulate electronic bingo.

The games are not currently taxed or regulated by any state board. Fiscal experts say the games could produce $170 million to $200 million annually in taxes.

The bill mainly drew opposition from Republicans and support from Democrats. The dean of the Senate, Democrat Bobby Denton of Muscle Shoals, had never voted for a gambling bill in his 32-year career until Tuesday night. "It's absolutely crazy to have this gaming in our state without this regulatory board," he said.

In other developments Tuesday, the Alabama Supreme Court left in place for now a judge's order that blocks the governor's task force from raiding Victoryland, a Macon County casino that is the state's largest with more than 6,400 machines.

The court ruled unanimously that task force Commander John Tyson's request to throw out the order was premature because he has the same request pending before Macon County Circuit Judge Tom Young.

Macon County's sheriff and district attorney persuaded the judge to issue an order recently that blocked the task force from acting in Macon County. Victoryland reopened its electronic bingo casino shortly after he issued the order.

The Supreme Court agreed that once Young rules, it will expedite its consideration of Tyson's request and could rule as early as April 19. Tyson said he was pleased with the court's swift schedule.