Sparks on White Hall

By: Jennifer Foster | Opelika Auburn News
Published: November 15, 2009 | 0 Comments | Post a Comment

Statement by Ron Sparks on Supreme Court Ruling

“The Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday indicates the urgency of the platform I’ve put forward. This ruling puts at jeopardy an industry that brings hundreds of millions of dollars to both state and local governments in Alabama.

Currently, the people of this state are financing the services of governments in surrounding states. The Supreme Court ruling does nothing but continue to play politics with one of the most urgent issues facing our state. As governor, I will push for statewide regulation, local referendum to determine if gaming will be allowed, and taxation of gaming to provide funding for both education and Medicaid.”

Refer to news story:

http://www.whnt.com/news/sns-ap-al--court-bingo,0,4721976.story

Sparks is referring here to the Alabama Supreme Court decision Friday to strike down a preliminary injunction that kept the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling from conducting another raid of White Hall Resort and Entertainment Center. The decision is a blow to electronic bingo games, which some local officials and Attorney General Troy King have argued are allowable under Alabama law.

See also:

"Video bingo has Alabamians yelling everything but," from The New York Times. This article explores the patchwork nature of Alabama's gambling laws and the way that patchwork opens the door for vague interpretations and helter-skelter enforcement of local ordinances.