Alabama Congressman Calls For Voter Input On Gambling

Lawmakers in the state of Alabama are divided on the gambling issue in the state, and they are upset that Governor Robert Riley has decided to take the issue into his own hands. That is why Congressman Bobby Bright believes that it may be time for voters to decide the issue.

Bright is calling for a referendum that is carved by lawmakers to gauge the pulse of voters on the gambling issue. The referendum would not be an end-all, just a tool that lawmakers could use if they needed to develop a regulated system of gambling in the state.

"What we all could do is agree on a referendum and let the people decide," said Bright, as reported by WSFA12 News, "That way it eliminates the governor having to go down into a community and raid and make it look like he's fighting the local leadership."

Bright's main concern is the growing number of Alabamians that are becoming frustrated with the lawmakers' divide on the issue. In almost every area of the state, there seems to be different ideas of legality for gambling coming from lawmakers, and residents of the state do not know who to believe.

Governor Riley has set up a Task Force on Illegal Gambling that has alienated many people in Alabama. The new Country Crossings entertainment facility employs thousands of people in the state, and last week the Task Force was prepared to raid the establishment.

Luckily for the thousands of workers, a judge stepped in and ordered that the Task Force could not raid the facility until at least after a hearing that was set for late January. Riley still has plans on raiding Country Crossings in the future.

This past weekend the governor and his Task Force took another blow. The person that is the head of the Force, David barber, resigned from his duties after revealing that he had won a casino jackpot in neighboring Mississippi.

That revelation again led pro-gambling groups to return to their premise that Riley is attempting to stop gambling in Alabama because of his political ties to a Tribe in Mississippi who contributed to Riley's campaign for governor.

Bright has taken one of the more diplomatic stances on the issue, and it is one that likely will be turned away by his anti-gambling peers. While not in favor of gambling, Bright understands how the process should work.

"I also am a public servant speaking for constituents, and whatever they choose to do, however they choose to live their life in their communities, I will honor that," said Bright.

January 18, 2010
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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