The TRUE facts about the REAL correlation between Bingo and Crime!
Birmingham – Many bingo opponents believe legalizing the game would lead to more crime.
But several police departments say in their experience, that’s not the case. Some departments saw a decrease in crime while the bingo halls were in operation. They don’t know whether they can credit the halls for that. But not one department ABC 33/40 spoke to blamed bingo for an increase in crime.
The once bright, ringing, and clanging bingo halls are still temporarily closed.
Some people want to keep electronic bingo illegal, and concern over increased crime has put the issue near the hearts of some Republicans.
“When you have gambling, you are going to have crime,” said Republican Senator Jabo Waggoner after the committee hearing on the bingo bill Tuesday.
But contrary to what players and some Republicans believe about the bingo halls, police say these halls have not dramatically affected the crime rates.
“Around the Eastlake area was the main area we saw a bingo operation and we didn’t see in an increase in that area,” said Sgt. Johnny Williams of the Birmingham Police Department.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office couldn’t provide any statistics.
But Birmingham and Fairfield police say they saw a lower crime rate while the halls were open.
And spokesmen for the Bessemer Police Department and Walker County Sheriff’s Department say they didn’t see a change at all despite the fatal shooting of a would-be robber at It’s Your Lucky Day near Jasper last summer.
None of the departments were certain whether the halls contributed to those rates. But if there were problems, they would have been recorded in police logs.
“Unless we get a call to a specific address where a business is located, that’s the only way to tell if that business is making some kind of impact on our crime trend,” said Williams.
And when asked whether the department got calls from the Birmingham bingo halls, he said, “no, we didn’t.”
The Blount County Sheriff’s Department was also contacted but no statistics were released.
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A lot of the anti-gambling rhetoric comes for neighboring states who stand to lose if Alabamians are allowed their constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Churches also get their hackles up when the issue comes up, but there is not 11th commandment that says thou shall not gamble.
For the great majority of people, various forms of gambling is no more than a form of entertainment, and legal are not, it goes on all the time. Where legal, there is at least some kind of regulation and it brings jobs where jobs are sorely needed.
Every since Country Crossing has been in Houston Co. I have been going out their I have never heard or seen any thing but people enjoying them selves laughing ,talking and having fun and I have never by the way even seen anybody get out of line in any way shape or form never even seen the sheriffs out there but now you go by some of the clubs you see patrol cars sitting out watching because they know where the trouble comes from and its not the Bingo Pavillions.