One of the concerns anti-gambling activists have had over the years is the question of elevated incidents of illegal gambling. They believe that if gambling is legalized, people will truly see the huge dollars working their way around the market and take advantage of it for themselves. They may see that there are millions of dollars available and try to steal from a casino or patrons. They may try to get into money laundering or other illegal activities. The problem with gambling is that it is a huge-dollar market and bringing that to different communities could be too much of a temptation for them to manage. Anti- gambling activists also believe that if legislators want to legalize and regulate gambling they are also going to have to have to increase their police forces and create task forces. The question of how far people are going to go with gambling has yet to be seen but there have been more incidents than ever involving illegal gaming. One problem arising is more people holding illegal slot machines. They believe that the games are increasing in singular locations around the US and legislators are trying to come down on the activity. In Alabama it is proving to be an issue and Senator Taylor wants to create specific penalties for possessing and operating illegal slots.

Right now there is a new bill on the table to make possessing an illegal slot game a Class A felony. Right now the activity is only a misdemeanor. The Senator also believes that the new bill should include any electronic bingo machines that are currently in operations within the state. This is going to be an issue for the state to regulate because of the sheer number of games that are classified as bingo games, rather than straight slots. This is a hefty law and it will take some time to get it pushed through. Legislators also are going to have to create a strict definition of what they consider to be “slots” before they move ahead with this new law. It will take them time to sort out, but most likely Senator Taylor is not going to let the issue sit for very much longer.

Alabama is one of those states that has gone through its share of changes in the market. The state formerly was governed by Bob Riley. He was an anti-gambling activist who claimed that he would never allow slots gaming into the state. His argument was that it would open the door to other crimes, and then put the state on the defense to fight against them. Anti-gambling organizations were behind him and believed the same. They attribute rises in crime, money laundering, corruption and addiction to the legalization of gambling. Though this isn’t necessarily proven, it stands to reason that it is likely. If you increase the pool of gamblers, there inevitably will arise more problems to manage. This is part of the reason why the ex-governor was so anti-gambling. He believed that the best decision for the state was to keep slots gaming out of it and avoid the issues that come along with legalizing gambling.

The question now is what is new governor Elect Robert Bentley going to do with the issue. He has stated that he will hand the issue over to the Attorney General and let him decide what to do. So far the Attorney General Luther Strange has made it clear that he agreed with the former governor and wants to ban slots gaming. He formed a task force to specifically target the games and make sure they are not operating within the state. His goal was to eliminate all illegal slot operations and keep them out of establishments that do not have the proper licensing for them. Many businesses were hoping that Bentley would change his mind and make a push for the games. They were hoping he would be more like pro-gambling activists and at least consider a different plan other than to completely ban the operations of gaming. Of course this could still change, but it isn’t going to happen any time soon. Businesses of course were hoping that they would be able to elevate their own revenues with the games and increase their own revenues that much more. It doesn’t seem like this is going to happen any time soon though.

The changing world of gambling is affecting many different areas in the US. Now it is the state of Alabama that is having problems. The tribal leaders within the state are pushing for separatism. They want to function as a separate entity with its own rules that are far beyond what the rules of the state are. This is just another example of how slot machines and gambling in general are affecting the outcomes of the legal world. They are pushing for changes and serious legislation. Legislators are playing with various rules but are a far way off of building laws that effectively manage the world. In the world of gambling, there are billions of dollars to be had. It is estimated that the gambling business is worth $3 billion right now and that number should reach $7 billion by the year 2014. That means that legislators everywhere are scrambling to get a piece of that pie. Even the recession couldn’t keep gambling down. Sure if affected how people were wagering, but the minute things started turning around, people began changing their gambling methods. They once again reentered the market to take advantage of the gaming fun out there and the potential to win money.

Alabama is just another state that has some serious decisions to make. Many legislators are concerned that the tribal leaders are moving to a separatist philosophy that won’t work. Some are saying their decision to separate is to rid themselves from paying taxes to the state. They want to make sure that their slots revenue is growing, but they don’t have to contribute a large portion of that to the state, which is common with all states. Normally a tribe is allowed to operate gaming centers on US soil in exchange for contributing a huge portion of their revenue to the state. It is an agreement that has worked with other states and Alabama legislators are pushing for the same laws to work here. Casino leaders are not making it easy though. They are hoping to separate and set their own laws and rules regarding gaming money. Due to the huge amount of money available though, most likely legislators are not going to let the issue go the way tribal leaders want.

The question of legalizing gambling is up for debate yet again. One side believes the money is too much to turn down and the other side believes that despite the money, the cost to society would be too great. No one knows which side is right, but the need for huge funds to fight off the deficit is still a priority for legislators everywhere. There are few other options when it comes to raising the money needed to overcome budget shortfalls. It is no wonder why legislators are pushing for legalization of gambling. They know that few other options are available to generate what is needed. Slots are being pushed to legalization, but with cautions. Anti-gambling activists are promoting that gambling will inevitably bring in more crime and corruption. Though this isn’t proven, the signs of the economy are showing there may be some validity to this.

Recently in Alabama there were some issues regarding illegal activities. Eleven people are being called into question about their activities. They are being accused of selling votes for a new bill that would legalize slots in the state. They have pled not guilty to the charges but now the issue is up to be heard by a grand jury. This is a sign of how hot the issue is in the market. There are millions of dollars being thrown around to square away the issue. This is what the anti-gambling action was talking about. They believe that because of the huge dollars, there is a higher chance of people taking bribes and people being swayed to whatever side is paying the most. This is a definite issue and is being confirmed by the various things happening in the world. There are more controversies coming to light of illegal activities. The Alabama incident is by no means the first one. Poland for example saw its own controversial moves when politicians were able paid off with bribes. Overall it is a complicated history for the development of gambling in the market. It will take more time to sort through, but most likely slots will be legalized in the near future in one state after another.

Alabama is one of those states that is having a rush of illegal gambling activities. The state just realized a new illegal slot machine ring. There is some controversy though. The owner of County Crossings has long operated his own bingo machines in his establishment. It hasn’t proven to be an issue with locals knowing full well about his operations. They know that he is operating a slew of machines that all offer excellent gaming. So far he has contributed to the market not only in tax revenue but also in employing people to run County Crossings. He is now in for a fight however. Legislators want to shut him down because slots gambling is not allowed in the state of Alabama. The games have long been denied approval in the area and that isn’t scheduled to change anytime soon. The governor is a strong anti-gambling backer and has reiterated his intent to never allow the games into the market. The owner of County Crossings however is ready to fight.

County Crossing’s owner has been operating the games though slot machines are illegal for a reason. He believes that his games are not slots, rather they are bingo games. Therefore they don’t fall under the same heading as gambling games. Though the law does not allow for “bingo games”, things are sketchy on what he can do to protect his livelihood. For a few months now there have been threats of a raid on his facility and he is trying to come up with ways to avoid that. His latest petition is for the law to come in and arrest him. He believes that this would allow him the chance to speak up for himself and make his own case on why his games are not gambling in nature. He should be allowed to still operate them and wants the opportunity to prove his case. Only time will tell whether or not he will get the chance or if legislators are just going to go ahead with the all-out raid that they were planning. Hopefully he will get the chance to state his case—either to a judge or via his lawyer if he is arrested in the end.

Alabama had some slot machine arguments recently. There was a court hearing that focused on more disagreements in terms of slots. This time the state Governor Bob Riley released a statement stating that US District Judge Lynnwood Smith’s ruling against electronic bingo games was “fair and just.” Riley confirmed that the machines in question were eligible to fall under the category of “slot machines.”  The Judge stated that the machines “look and act like slot machines constitute illegal slot machines, no matter what they’re called.”

Riley went on to confirm the old adage “If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it’s a duck.”  He continued to state that slot machine operators across the country need to be aware that the “name” of a game does not necessarily make it exempt from slot machine rulings. Governor Riley added, “no matter what you call them they are what they are.” Riley has been a firm supporter of ridding the state of the illegal slot machine operations many legislators believe it is under.

Riley’s words are not without criticism though. Casino developer of Country Crossing, Ronnie Gilley said that the governor was putting words in the judge’s mouth. Gilley stated that the decision was handled in a proficient way, but there is no confirmation that the Judge was referring to slot machine management throughout the country. In face Gilley stated that the “Governor was trying to make this ruling more than what it was because he was trying to get slot machines made illegal.”

Gilley is campaigning hard due to the current construction his company is working on.  Although they believe that they don’t fall under the umbrella of this particular judgment, he does confirm that potential future projects may be threatened.  He believes that for Governor Riley to characterize the ruling with his own beliefs is a “blow against electronic bingo machine industry” and citing the number of illegal slot machines in the state is a “misrepresentation of the facts.”  Gilley and his company are preparing to resume the building of their new developments and bring in the bingo machines they originally planned for.