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Bessemer: Bessemer City Council members denied a bingo permit application from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8026 at a Sept. 15 regular council meeting. During the meeting, Mayor Ed May said he recommended the request be denied because the application did not specify days and times of operation and therefore did not meet the city’s minimum requirement. The omission of this information led many city officials to believe the VFW meant to offer electronic bingo gambling at its facility.
Council President Earl Cochran did not provide an update on the council’s bingo committee activities, but some city leaders believe the committee is still planning to propose a new electronic bingo gambling ordinance.
Although City Attorney Aaron Killings said he primarily drafted the previous ordinance (which May vetoed) and Council Attorney Greg Harris said he helped edit the document, both Killings and Harris say they are not involved in drafting any new bingo ordinance for the city.
Birmingham: The Birmingham City Council issued its first electronic bingo permit to the House of Joshua Christian Center after Circuit Court Judge William Noble ruled Sept. 14 that the council could no longer delay issuing the permit to the center. Previously the council decided to postpone acting on its electronic bingo gambling ordinance until the Supreme Court rules on the legality of the machines, according to The Birmingham News.
According to Noble’s order, House of Joshua filed a bingo permit application June 29 and paid a $2,500 application fee, which was accepted and deposited into the council’s account. On Aug. 4, the council delayed issuing the permit even though the application had been approved by the public safety department.
District Attorney Brandon Falls said he told the council to “not pass the ordinance” because it would “open them up to a ruling like Judge Noble’s.” Still Falls said this lawsuit could have been avoided.
The council “can go back and negate that ordinance and do away with it,” Falls said.
At press time, the council was preparing to consider three more electronic bingo permit applications at the Sept. 22 regular council meeting. Thirteen more organizations also have filed applications, according to the News.
Jefferson County: After months of confusion, Jefferson County electronic bingo gambling operators now have rules and regulations. On Sept. 10, a deputy sheriff and district attorney investigator hand-delivered the new rules, promulgated by Sheriff Mike Hale, to about 40 known bingo halls in the county.
Although electronic bingo gambling facilities were popping up around Jefferson County over the past year, there was no permitting process or specific rules for them to follow until Judge Scott Vowell ruled in March that the law making the process the sheriff’s responsibility was valid. Previously it was unclear if the County Commission or sheriff should govern bingo.
“That put the ball in our court,” said Randy Christian of the sheriff’s public/media relations bureau. “We simply copied the state law and that is our rules.”
Now bingo halls must pay a $150 annual permit fee to the sheriff and can only partner with one charity and operate five hours per day, two days per week. They have 30 days to comply with the new rules, which apply to the entire county despite rules established by various municipalities.
“If it’s in Jefferson County, it doesn’t matter what city they are in,” Christian said. “If they are violating the rules, they are violating state law. … If [the bingo operations] are not in compliance with the state law or operate outside of the state law or what they’ve documented on their permit application, we certainly will revoke the permit and refer to the district attorney for prosecution.”
Christian said bingo in Alabama is meant “for charities,” not “for profit.”
At this point, the sheriff’s office is not questioning the legality of the machines being used, Christian said.
“We are waiting on the Supreme Court to decide that,” Christian said.
District Attorney Brandon Falls agreed. Still Falls has no plans to stop trying to eradicate what he believes are illegal slot machines in Jefferson County.
“The criminal code talks about unlawful gambling and gambling devices, and the sheriff’s regulations talk about how you are to play bingo,” Falls said. “The state statute regarding gambling devices still applies … and folks are bringing in machines that we believe are violating that statute.”
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