North Alabama town sues Sheriff over bingo

April 23, 2008

Lance Griffin

The Birmingham News reports in a story today that the small north Alabama town of Triana has sued its sheriff following raids on two electronic bingo halls that led to them being shut down. The residents claim lost tax revenue from bingo is making it difficult for the town to survive financially.

The story is only loosely connected to Country Crossing in that it is simply another state story about electronic bingo. Meanwhile, an electronic bingo bill related to Macon County and Victoryland continues to clog the Alabama Senate. A philibuster is expected to continue tomorrow.

Click here for the Birmingham News story.

The Legislature and Bingo

April 17, 2008

Lance Griffin

Last week I called and left messages with almost all of the members of the Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee to get their thoughts on the bingo bill that had been introduced by Sen. Harri Anne Smith. I followed up with e-mails to the committee members whose addresses were on the State Legislature Web site.

None of them responded to either the phone calls or the e-mails, except one. Sen. Charles Bishop called a few days later and talked about electronic bingo in Walker County. Of course the bingo bill has been pulled now, but Bishop’s take was interesting. I’m working on a story for early next week. Bishop told me that he believes those who support the bingo center at Country Crossing won’t be supporting it 2 years from now based on his experience. I told him that what the County Commission said it wants to do is to prevent the widespread proliferation of electronic bingo machines that invaded his county. He sees it differently.

Check back for more on my conversation with Sen. Bishop

House Bingo bill rises from the dead, killed again

April 16, 2008

Lance Griffin

After a motion for reconsideration, HB577 (Rep. Marcel Black’s racetrack bingo bill) received 57 yea votes in a procedural vote, three short of the 60 needed to move the bill forward, so HB577 has been killed again. It does not appear the bill can be brought up again for reconsideration.

Bingo at Country Crossing clears another legislative hurdle

Lance Griffin

A House bill that could have limited electronic bingo to four existing race tracks in Alabama was killed today. HB577, sponsored by Rep. Marcel Black, would have allowed electronic bingo at race tracks in Mobile and Birmingham along with its current operations in Green County and Macon County. It would have effectively outlawed it everywhere else (except on federally protected Indian land).

The bill failed on a procedural vote, the Budget Isolation Resolution, yielding 55 yea votes and 39 nay votes. 60 yea votes were needed to move the bill forward.

The Senate is expected to debate another gambling bill later today.

Statement by Sen. Harri Anne Smith

April 14, 2008

Lance Griffin

Below is the full text of the statement read by Sen. Harri Anne Smith when she announced that she had withdrawn her bingo bill from the Alabama Senate.

“I recenrtly introduced a bill in the state Senate which would have put the establishment of electronic bingo in Houston County on the ballot in November. I did this because I believe that when the citizens of any community face a political and moral issue of great significance they should have the opportunity to participate in that decision.”

“I believe that then and I believe it now. Since I introduced this bill I have heard from hundreds of people from all walks of life – in the newspaper, on the Internet, by phone, on radio and TV, and on the street.”

“The good, solid citizens of our community have let me know in no uncertain terms how strongly they feel about this issue. The consensus is obvious to me. A majority of the people of Houston County clearly want the Country Crossing development to move forward because of what they believe it will mean to this area in terms of jobs and economic development.  For that reason I have today contacted the Senate committee chairman and asked that my bill be stopped permanantly.”