Judge to rule soon on VictoryLand ‘bingo’ case

It will be at least a month before Milton McGregor finds out if he can reopen his casino attached to VictoryLand dog track in Shorter.

Montgomery County Circuit Judge William Shashy will rule on the case, which had a Sept. 9–12 nonjury trial, once McGregor’s attorneys and the attorney general’s office file the final documents Shashy has asked for.

Attorney General Luther Strange is seeking the right to destroy the more than 1,600 gambling machines that were confiscated when VictoryLand was raided in February 2013. Strange also wants the state to keep the more than $223,000 that was seized.

But McGregor’s attorneys are arguing that the machines are legal under state law and therefore were wrongly confiscated. They want the machines and the cash back.

While several Alabama counties, including Macon County where VictoryLand is located, have approved constitutional amendments to allow legal bingo, Strange said McGregor’s slot machine-style games are not legal. Legal bingo includes numbers being announced, players marking their cards and a player claiming a win, Strange explained. (TAB)