Judge William Shashy of the Montgomery Circuit Court ruled on Thursday that Alabama could not shutter the VictoryLand casino and greyhound track in Macon County, while permitting venues across the state to provide the same operations.
According to Judge Shashy, the state had no apparent reason to penalize VictoryLand for offering electronic bingo games, as other Alabama-based facilities featured those at their premises. He also said in a Thursday statement that the forfeiture of $263,105 and 1,615 devices after a 2013 raid needs to be dismissed.
Judge Shashy noted that Alabama had treated the gambling facility in an unfair manner and that his court refused to “be used as an instrument” for such a treatment.
After the judge’s ruling, Milton McGregor, owner of VictoryLand, commented that he was content with this turn of the events. He added that now, his property would be able to resume operations and all 2,000 people who lost their jobs due to the trial would have the chance to go back to work.
Johnny Ford, Mayor of Tuskegee and one of the lawmakers who paved the way for the 2003 legislation that authorized the provision of bingo games in Macon County, pointed out that the latest ruling would benefit not only Shorter, where the venue is located, but also the whole county. Mayor Ford also promised that he and his office would do their best to help the casino, which has once been among the largest employers in the county.
Joe Espy, VictoryLand’s lead attorney, reminded that Macon County voters had previously supported the closed casino and he said he was content with the fact that people’s opinion was respected.
Under the ruling, the gambling property will be able to resume operations for the first time since 2010, when it was forced to close down. Apart from the electronic bingo options, the facility also featured a greyhound track, and a hotel.
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange said in a statement from Thursday afternoon that he found the ruling quite surprising, due to the fact that the court had supposedly failed to address the most important issue – whether the machines featured at VictoryLand were legal.
Mr. Strange and his office have 6 weeks to decide if they would appeal Judge Shashy’s decision. If not, VictoryLand is to resume operations in about 4 to 6 months.
