Alabama Still Debating over Bingo
Alabama is a state that has long been in the midst of debates over gambling and now bingo, namely, is up to the chopping block. Governor Bob Riley has been a force against gambling since the issue first arose a few years ago. He has consistently stood against it and pined for legislation to ban it within the state’s borders. Now he is taking aim at the state’s electronic bingo machines because they are an offshoot of slot machines, which are illegal within the state. So far the Governor has created a task force that is set to block all bingo machine gaming. The group must police the state and has already closed down over thirty gambling halls and left a few hundred people out of their jobs. Many of those closings happened in low-income, black areas and that is causing tension.
Black leaders are now issuing complaints about the loss of jobs in particular. They see the economy as still a harrowing one where jobs cannot be eliminated. They are also citing the losee of tax revenue from gambling as a reason why the governor should stop his adamant moves to thwart it altogether. Former state Senator George Clay is taking notice of the issue and citing the 1950s move to prevent desegregation of schools by shutting down the Macon County economy. He states that the moves Riley is making are reminiscent of the illegal moves made over a half-a-century ago.
John Tyson is the task force commander and he insists that this is not a repeat of the former incident. The one happening now does not prey on the innocent, as Tyson stated. Despite his argument, many are seeing a correlation between incidents since the communities involved are losing so much in the process. They claim that the governor is targeting low-income neighborhoods and they have no other reasonable replacement activities for jobs or revenue. Various individuals within the community are garnering help from political figures to stand against the governor’s move. They want to create a support system for laid-off bingo hall workers and a referendum vote to reopen the halls.
Tags: Alabama, bingo, referendum, Riley, vote
