[Reactionary]

Gambling Task Force leader John Tyson said (last Thursday?) that the Creeks were last. Maybe the ads showing Riley in the Indian blanket make it tougher for him to walk away...

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by Reactionary

I think that by Federal law the Creeks can have up to Class II gaming (which includes electronic bingo but not slots which are Class III) without State interference. The 'electronic bingo' machines are illegal slot machines, because they fail the AL Supreme Court 'six-part bingo test' (because it's not bingo - the player has no interaction during the game). The Creeks can also have whatever gaming is allowed in the State (currently dog tracks) - so the State must shut down the other slot machines before they can shut down the Creek casinos.

There is some interaction because there are bingo cards at the top of the machine. The player can touch the card to change it, so the chances of winning are somewhat determined by what card the player has chosen. This is how it works at Wind Creek, not sure about the others.

[Reactionary]

The AL Supreme Court's 'six point test':

- Each player uses one or more cards with spaces arranged in five columns and five rows, with an alphanumeric or similar designation assigned to each space.

- Alphanumeric or similar designations are randomly drawn and announced one by one.

- Each player must pay attention to the values announced in order to play. If one of the values matches a value on one or more of the player’s cards, the player must physically act by marking his or her card accordingly.

- A player may miss an opportunity to be declared a winner by failing to pay proper attention or to properly mark his or her card.

- A player must recognize that his or her card has a ” bingo,” i.e., a predetermined pattern of matching values, and in turn announce to the other players and the announcer that this is the case before any other player does so.

- The game of bingo contemplates a group activity in which multiple players compete against each other to be the first to properly mark a card with the predetermined winning pattern and announce the fact.

The electronic bingo at Wind Creek doesn't pass this test, because once you hit the button to play the player has no control over the 'card' on the screen (i.e., so no "physically act by marking"). The test to distinguish between electronic bingo and slots is fairly widespread - a lot of jurisdictions distinguish between Class II and Class III gaming.

BTW snl, I was at Wind Creek last week and spent the night in the hotel. It was very nice and the restaurants were great. I got to wander around Atmore and the Magnolia Branch Reserve for a little while.

Do you know if the Reserve rents canoes or kayaks? Other places in the area? I've played in some creeks with blackish-water and sand bottoms but haven't canoed one.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by Reactionary

The AL Supreme Court's 'six point test':



The electronic bingo at Wind Creek doesn't pass this test, because once you hit the button to play the player has no control over the 'card' on the screen (i.e., so no "physically act by marking"). The test to distinguish between electronic bingo and slots is fairly widespread - a lot of jurisdictions distinguish between Class II and Class III gaming.

If they ban the machines at Wind Creek they might as well take a wrecking ball to that hotel. Paper bingo will draw locals like it did before, but it will not bring in people passing by on the interstate.

BTW snl, I was at Wind Creek last week and spent the night in the hotel. It was very nice and the restaurants were great. I got to wander around Atmore and the Magnolia Branch Reserve for a little while.

Do you know if the Reserve rents canoes or kayaks? Other places in the area? I've played in some creeks with blackish-water and sand bottoms but haven't canoed one.

I've never paid attention, but according to their website Kayaks are $15 and Canoes are $25. Tubing is more popular, or as we say "floating down the creek". You can start at Magnolia Branch and get back out of the water at Sardis Church Rd (north of hwy 31) between Atmore and Flomaton. The entrance to the creek from Sardis Church Rd is less known except to locals and sometimes that dirt road can be a bit rough. If you go past there you will actually end up in Flomaton.

I saw some smoke coming from the area of Magnolia Branch last week so I assumed there was some prescribed burning going on. I think they're trying to reestablish some of the longleaf pine habitat.

[mimpdaddy]

Updated: Legalized electronic bingo bill falters in Alabama Senate vote | al.com
Well if Alabama don't let the people vote, im leaving the state.
If the people vote no I will be fine but I cant allow snakes to make a decision for us. But we can allow guns at work after a professor kills people.
Now turning down millions in tax revenue. Boy! This is a stupid state.

[unstoppablemobile]

Originally Posted by mimpdaddy

Updated: Legalized electronic bingo bill falters in Alabama Senate vote | al.com
Well if Alabama don't let the people vote, im leaving the state.
If the people vote no I will be fine but I cant allow snakes to make a decision for us. But we can allow guns at work after a professor kills people.
Now turning down millions in tax revenue. Boy! This is a stupid state.

Not so fast! All of this "epic" revenue for education will be just as it has been in Florida for over 20 years and the $21+ Billion they have collected for education....They simply DIVERT the funding elsewhere that the lotto revenue takes up for. If the state of ALabama passes gambling, and say..oh generates $500 million a year for the state education fund, that same $500 million that would normally be funded from other sources before the gambling took affect will simply be placed elsewhere. So in reality, the "extra revenue" is cancelled out. Sorry to disappoint yall. The state of Alabama would just say h ok, we dont have to give em this half billion since gambling is making up for it!

[Croye22]

Alabama becoming a dictortaorship state. Sorry, but I don't need some crackpock governor telling me I don't need to gamble.

And lol if Riley thinks he's going to be able to stop the Creeks from running their casinos.

[bluebeard]

seriously, if gambling is what you seen as you're most important civil or human right, you're priorities are a bit off.

[Tourian]

I think the only reason the Governor is against it is because the state doesn't get to see any of that money. If politicians were given enough of a cut, they'd be all for it I believe. I don't like the government telling me what I can and can't do either, but the only place I ever see these bingo halls is in the most blighted parts of the city. They prey on the uneducated and the poor. And right next to them you'll see your typical pawnshop or title loan store and fast food district. The nice parts of town don't have to deal with that - but then again, the nice parts of town don't have the closed down Hardee's or Ms. Winner's, dealerships, etc where these places move in to. The money they generate doesn't go back into the community that brings them any success either. It just lines the owner's pockets and their kids go to private schools and/or public schools in nice neighborhoods. They support their own community in different ways. Meanwhile the resident of a neighborhood along highway 78 or 79 hits the jackpot and goes and buys a new King Ranch Powerstroke or Escalade to park outside their trailer park or shotgun house and is broke six months later and has to pawn it and ends up in worse shape then they were before they won.

[bluebeard]

There are a lot of things Alabama and the US tell you that you can't do. To choose gambling as a decisive issue that would actually make you take the drastic measure of leaving the state is quite narrow. I actually find it rather strange that there is such a focus on the issue.