Alabama is in the midst of a huge debate regarding bingo machines. Governor Bob Riley has taken one more step forward in his goal to eliminate all bingo machines from the state. He believes that bingo machines are simply slot machines in disguise and maintains that slot machines at these bingo parlors are illegal. Because of those two factors, he wants all the machines removed from the state. The bingo parlors are upset to say the least and have been fighting the issue vehemently. They say that bingo is legal in the state and he should not be able to take that away from them.

Riley says that bingo is legal in the state but that slot machines are not and because of that they need to go. He contends that if they want to play bingo they need to play with the markers, balls and cards, and not with electronic slot machines. He has gotten opposition from the parlors as well as many within the government itself. The biggest issue is money. There are huge dollars available by keeping the games in the state and without them, there will be more deficits to deal with throughout the country.

There is good news for Riley, however. He just won the latest case involving the slot machines. The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the governor stating that the bingo machines are a form of gambling and because of that they are illegal. They decided that bingo is a card game, not an electronic game. The court said that based on the officer’s testimony that they had no doubt that the bingo games were slot machines due to the games’ look and gaming.

Now that the decision was made, Riley believes that his cabinet knows where the line of legal and illegal is being drawn with regards to gambling. He has already contacted game manufacturers who supply the machines to the state and told them that they are no longer allowed to bring in new machines. He also said that the state will take on the responsibility of monitoring the games in the state and assure the voting public that more games will not be allowed in.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley is having a difficult time with the gambling issue. For months now he has campaigned hard to keep illegal slot machines out of the state but he is getting little support from legislators. He has had various rulings against him regarding the issue. A formal ruling came against him when he tried to ban bars and pubs from having slot machines. He created a task force to combat illegal slot machines and put people in line to help enforce new laws. Legislators shot down his decision though and yet another battle was lost. It’s been months since the battle began and both sides have worked tirelessly to state their point of the issue.

One of the main issues he has is now coming down to his own cabinet. Recently, David Barber stepped down as the head of Riley’s anti gambling task force saying that he had done nothing illegal but was aware of the appearance of impropriety. The tough part about this is that Barber was hand picked by Riley for the job. It’s not good news for Riley who is seeing his own reputation sullied at the turn of events leading up to his appointee’s resignation.

The trouble began when Barber was caught playing at a Mississippi casino. Though that isn’t illegal, considering his position with Riley, it was a highly questionable act. He is after all the appointee to help run a task force against gambling and then he is caught gambling. In the end, Barber not only played at the casino, he also won more than $2,300. The issue is not necessarily the fact that he was playing slot machines; it was that the campaign against them had made this a moral issue. If the lead of his anti-slot machine group was playing the games, then obviously he did not truly believe that there was anything wrong with the slot machines. In the world of emotionally-charged debates, actions speak louder than words. And Barber’s small move to play slots was a loud sign for those in support of legalizing gambling and regulating it for the purpose of millions of dollars in tax-revenues.

Alabama is another state bitterly embroiled in the debate over slot machines and their legalization. Governor Bob Riley is vehemently standing against the games and hoping that they are thwarted. His belief is that electronic bingo games should be outlawed in the state because of their similarities to slot machines. Slots are illegal already and he wants to build on that law by including electronic bingo. There is a huge portion of the state’s voting public that agrees with the governor on the issue of slot machines and bingo machines. They also believe the similarities should make both illegal and banned from operating.

The Attorney General of the state Troy King is on the opposing side of the issue. He believes that “not all bingo games are actually slot machines.” That mere statement has created much dissention in the state. It has drawn up sides clearly of the opposing sides of the issue. King believes that bingo games are far enough away from slots that they should be allowed into the state. He is also pushing the argument that slots can bring huge revenues to a state that needs them desperately.

Gubernatorial candidate Bill Johnson is criticizing Riley’s decision to remove slots from the state. He claims that funds for Riley’s campaign came from Mississippi Indian casino owners. This is a point of contention and he believes that it is enough to call Riley someone who should not be trusted, or voted for, by the voting public. He is using the slot machine issue to tear down his opponent and hoping that he finds enough of a supporting public to push him into office.

The debate over slot machines has grown exponentially over the past few years. Though at one time slots were thought of as a land-based casino game only, in today’s market, they are slowly moving into the mainstream market. Gambling in general is taking on a new life as big-name commercial companies move to sponsor various high-profile gambling tournaments and events throughout the world. It’s a testament to the popularity of gambling and its movement into the everyday world.

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.