By
Jerry Smith
Staff Writer Updated: 07/01/2023
Jerry’s greatest advantage is his extensive experience on the casino floor. His time as a casino manager taught him everything about what makes a player tick. Besides being a skilled poker player, he has deep knowledge of all live table games and gambling regulations in the US.
Bingo Machines Banned
It has been decided by a judge that VictoryLand Casino in Macon County, Alabama, will no longer be able to allow players to play electronic bingo machines on its premises. What’s more, the casino will not be allowed to transfer the now useless machines to any other facility in the county.
This decision was made by Judge Steven Perryman on June 12, who stated that the machines “violate local laws.” It also comes nine months after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that electronic bingo machines were unlawful, ordering them to be removed from three premises in Alabama: VictoryLand Casino, Whitehall, and Southern Star. This decision was made with a unanimous ruling on September 30, 2022.
By ruling that electronic bingo machines are not legal, the judge has effectively accused the casino of allowing illegal gambling on its premises. In a statement, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said:
Electronic bingo machines are a blatant violation of state law, and the Alabama Supreme Court has reaffirmed this time and time again. Similar to the facilities in Morgan, Houston and Lowndes Counties, the Macon County facilities are permanently prohibited from using electronic bingo machines moving forward.
The judge also stated that the injunction would only be lifted if Alabama legalized electronic bingo. Currently, only bingo games played using actual cards are legal in the state. Counties can decide whether bingo for charity is permitted within their borders.
It’s unsurprising that the highly conservative state of Alabama has exceptionally strict rules surrounding gambling. In fact, it is one of only five states not to have a lottery, plus also does not permit online gambling in any form. There was recently an effort to legalize casinos and sports betting, but despite passing through the Senate, it was eventually shut down.
While gambling is illegal in most forms in Alabama, there are four casinos in the state. Three are operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, a federally recognized tribe in Alabama. These casinos are the three Wind Creek properties in Atmore, Montgomery, and Wetumpka. The other is the VictoryLand racino, which used to offer greyhound racing until it was stopped in 2011.
VictoryLand is permitted to offer a very narrow selection of games to its visitors, and the variety of games has been further diminished by the ruling against electronic bingo machines. The other three casinos have a much larger number of casino games to play, although they also don’t offer any table games.
VictoryLand has already begun its pivot towards a different type of gambling. As the venue has a pari-mutuel betting license, it is permitted to offer betting on HHR machines, and these have been credited with preventing the venue from closing.
HHR machines allow players to place bets on previously run horse races, although all details of the race are not revealed, for obvious reasons. These machines can be played in a style similar to Las Vegas-style slots but remain pari-mutuel betting machines legal in the state.
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