Alabama Casino Operators Heading To Court To Prove Slot Machines Are Legal In The State
Several states and territories in the US have rather murky gambling laws. Most places make it illegal to gamble outside of a licensed casino, but most states do allow people to purchase lottery tickets and play on slot machines. Alabama Governor Bob Riley raiding and closing down casinos in the state that offer video poker. Riley’s reasoning is that video poker machines have actually been categorized in error. Many believe that Gov. Riley is closing down a huge number of Alabama casinos through a small loophole. The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that all video poker machines must allow multiple players to participate at the same time and that each number needs to be audibly announced. In addition, all bingo cards must have 25 squares, players have to actually mark their cards and the winning number must also be announced. Needless to say, most of the video poker machines in Alabama casinos did not meet these criteria.
As a result of the mass closing of these casinos, the economy in Alabama is suffering immensely. Thousands of jobs have been lost and revenues in some counties are at an all time low. Newly appointed Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange has agreed to meet with the owners of these closed casinos to discuss what can be done about the situation, but it will be in the courtroom. If the casino owners agree to have some of their video poker machines confiscated then the state of Alabama has promised that they will not be subject to raids.