Editorial: Definitive gambling law needed now

What happened early Friday at VictoryLand and Country Crossing is certainly to be debated across party lines and between those in the gambling industry and Alabama government for a long time to come.

First were the on-again, off-again police raids. Then came the battle of press releases from the state attorney general and lawyers for casino bosses on one side and the governor on the other.

Finally, the state Supreme Court issued an opinion.

Electronic bingo machines are illegal, the justices said.

So the big fight is shaping up like this: In this corner, we have very deep-pocketed casino bosses and the attorney general, Troy King. And in this corner, we have Gov. Bob Riley and the Alabama Supreme Court.

For months, the buildup was something Las Vegas fight promoters would love.

Mudslinging, name-calling and big advertising budgets with each side slamming the other.

Friday, as hundreds of lawmen lined up outside the casinos in Dothan and Shorter, it was apparent Riley is ready to rumble.

Riley said Friday night that the law has been clearly defined by the Alabama Supreme Court.

The Court’s decision is hardly a surprise. Anyone with any common sense knows that these slot machines are not bingo.

“Law enforcement officials across the State cannot turn their heads any longer,” the governor said. “The gambling bosses have run out of excuses, and these slot-machine casinos must be shut down.”

Don’t think for a second that is where it ends. Lawyers for the casinos are already preparing the next move.

This fight has been going on too long for it to end with a whimper. It is likely that this issue will end up being a protracted and costly battle and the next staging grounds will likely be the court of public opinion and the Legislature.

It is already a hot topic for political debate. In a year when the state is facing a myriad of monumental issues such as health care, budget deficits and a troubled educational system, gambling is front and center.

Republican gubernatorial hopeful and Tuscaloosa legislator Robert Bentley said during a candidate’s forum Thursday he’s “absolutely sick of dealing with gambling.”

“Every year it takes up most of our session,” he told a crowd at the Opelika Center for the Performing Arts. “People would like to, once and for all, solve this problem.”

Exactly.

We call on the Alabama Legislature to settle this by finally defining this law.

The current law is obviously too ambiguous when the governor, attorney general and local attorneys general are at odds. The Legislature should remove all doubt.

Though any law is sure to be challenged, it would put us a significant step closer to having this issue settled as to what is legal and illegal when it comes to gambling in the state of Alabama.

Casino owners like to pontificate and stress how morally or fiscally sound their businesses might be. Their posturing makes for great sound bites and lively debate.

Taxes and morality are not the real issues here.

The real issue is what is legal and what is illegal. That shouldn’t really be open for so much debate.

Each lawmaker should take a stand and be counted. Are we going to allow this in our state or not?

Each lawmaker should be accountable for his or her vote.

Make a law. Make it clear. Make it quickly. Then, solve bigger issues.

We have plenty to work on that may not be as fun, but are certainly more important.