SHORTER, Ala. — Victoryland casino closed voluntarily Monday as a court ruling loomed that could allow a raid of Alabama's largest electronic bingo operation, the last non-Indian casino doing business in the state.
Victoryland owner Milton McGregor said the casino was be closing temporarily due to the "legal shenanigans and threats" from Gov. Bob Riley and his gambling task force commander, John Tyson Jr.
Riley and Tyson contend the casino is an illegal slots operation and court rulings in Alabama have made that clear. But McGregor said no court has ruled specifically that Victoryland's machines are in violation of a constitutional amendment allowing bingo that Macon County voters approved.
"The system of government in our state has broken down," McGregor said in a statement.
Macon County's district attorney and sheriff have contended the casino is legal.
Their attorneys had a Monday afternoon deadline from the Alabama Supreme Court to respond to Tyson's request to raid Victoryland and confiscate its 6,000 bingo machines.
It was unclear if the casino's closing might keep state police from entering the building at Shorter, east of Montgomery, and seizing the machines.
Raids and the threat of raids have forced other casinos to close, including Greenetrack in Greene County, where protesters were arrested, and Country Crossing at Dothan, which investors had planned as the centerpiece of a country music-themed entertainment complex.
Indian casinos at Montgomery, Wetumpka and Atmore are under federal regulation, not state, and have continued to offer electronic bingo while Riley's task force has shuttered private operations.
The closing of Victoryland left about 600 employees without a job in a poor, mostly black county that relies heavily on the casino's tax revenues. Riley has said he is obligated to make sure the law is enforced fairly throughout the state despite attempts by "casino bosses."
McGregor said Riley is a "czar" who "should be ashamed of yourself for putting Alabamians out of work in these terrible economic times." (Credit: Google News)
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