Electronic bingo bill getting stronger support from members of Alabama legislature

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An Associated Press survey of Alabama legislators shows support has grown during the last year for a proposal that would keep Alabama’s electronic bingo casinos open and levy taxes on them.

But the numbers are still short of what proponents need to win.

An AP survey taken in late December and early January found that 41 percent of both the House and Senate members responding said they would vote for a constitutional amendment to make sure electronic bingo is legal and to place taxes and regulations on it.

That’s up from 36 percent of the House and 37 percent of the Senate that favored the constitutional amendment in an AP survey a year ago.

Senate budget committee Chairman Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, said there are two reasons support has grown and will continue to grow in the legislative session starting Tuesday.

“The level of exposure has gotten higher and higher with more casinos being built, and the state’s tax revenue is down,” he said.

Casino developers have spent more than $500 million in the last year to expand their operations with hotels, restaurants and concert venues. They say taxing them could generate $200 million annually for public schools and other state programs.

But the prospects of jobs and tax revenue may not be enough to sustain them. Passing a constitutional amendment requires three-fifths of the House and Senate, and the survey shows proponents aren’t near that.

In the AP survey, 35 percent of the House members responding and 45 percent of the Senate were opposed to the constitutional amendment. The remaining 24 percent of the House members responding and 14 percent of the Senate were undecided.

Currently Alabama’s courts are considering whether electronic bingo machines are illegal slot machines.

Fear of a state Supreme Court ruling banning bingo is helping propel the legislation.

Ronnie Gilley, developer of the Country Crossing bingo and entertainment complex at Dothan, said he and other members of the Sweet Home Alabama Coalition will be back with the constitutional amendment that died in the 2009 session.

Coalition members say the legislation would close down some fly-by-night operations, permit electronic bingo in Jefferson and Mobile counties, and develop more tourist destinations like Country Crossing.

They also say it would stem the flow of Alabamians to Mississippi casinos, where they compromise 9 percent of the customers, according to the Mississippi Gaming Commission.

If approved by the Legislature, it would still have to be passed by Alabama voters in a statewide referendum.

“Any elected official who is opposed to letting the people decide does not have the best interest of their state at heart,” Gilley said.

Milton McGregor, owner of Victoryland in Shorter, said he believes his business is secure under local gambling laws, but the Legislature needs to settle the issue statewide.

Bill Eadington, a gambling expert at the University of Nevada at Reno, said operators are looking for legislative protection while fighting the governor’s task force against gambling in court.

“This is the poker game part of the strategy,” he said.

In addition to asking about the gambling proponents’ bill, the AP surveyed legislators about whether they would support a constitutional amendment to ban electronic bingo. That was favored by 37 percent of the House and 45 percent of the Senate, which is short of what would be need to pass.

Some opponents of electronic bingo say they hope the Legislature does nothing and awaits a decision by the Alabama Supreme Court. That’s because they anticipate the court will rule Alabama’s bingo laws don’t cover the fast-moving electronic games.

“They can call it bingo if they want, but it’s not bingo. Bingo is played on paper,” Sen. Charles Bishop, D-Jasper, said.

(This report was written by Phillip Rawls of The Associated Press.)

Source: The Associated Press
January 10, 2010, 4:01PM