Riley Bringing Alabama Closer To Tribal Casino Gambling Monopoly

Governor Robert Riley has done his best to rid the state of video gambling machines, and is seeking to make it more difficult to operate bingo machines. If he continues at his current pace, some fear that it may create a gambling monopoly for the states tribal casinos.

Riley and his administration have shot down these reports. He claims that the tribal casinos are operating their gambling machines illegally, and therefore will not have an monopoly. A developer of a new state-regulated casino project does not agree.

"If he prevails in his quest...he creates an absolute monopoly for the Native Americans," said Ronnie Gilley, developer of County Crossing. The new establishment is expected to adhere to the laws, but Gilley fears they will not be able to compete with the Poarch Creek Indian casinos.

While many of the regulated casinos have switched out their machines for those that the state has deemed legal, the tribal casinos have gone on with business as usual. They are still offering the machines the state ruled as illegal.

The tribe believes that they are bound by a different set of rules that the other casinos. The tribe is operating under the direction of a federal level, and feels that they need not answer to the state's order to change the machines.

"Our standards that we have to meet come from a federal level," said PCI Gaming President, Jay Dorris, "I don't think that the governor can speak for what happens on federal trust land."

December 21, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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