Gov. Robert Bentley announced the appointments for his Alabama Advisory Council on Gaming, which has until Jan. 1, 2017, to present its findings and recommendations to lawmakers for consideration. The council will focus on evaluating state and local gambling laws, tax revenues from existing illegal gambling operations in the state and tax revenue structures from gambling in other states.
Although studies have concluded that gambling enterprises such as casinos and lotteries do not provide a long-term boost to state economies, Bentley said he hopes the council will end the long-debated issue by figuring out “a way for the people to have a say in its resolution.”
The council had its first meeting Nov. 3, with the next scheduled for Nov. 17. At its first meeting, the council voted to make all its meetings open to the public.
Bentley also said it was “safe to say” there will be no raids on VictoryLand in Macon County or GreeneTrack in Greene County in the meantime, where illegal bingo gambling is going on currently, the Montgomery Advertiser reported. For more information, visit www.thealabamabaptist.org and search “gambling.”
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