Published on: November 27, 2024, 06:29h.
Last updated on: November 27, 2024, 06:42h.
Alabama’s dedicated anti-electronic bingo state attorney general has taken action against an entire city after alleging that it allowed an unlawful bingo establishment to operate within its boundaries.
AG Steve Marshall has stated that he will not release the frozen assets of the city of Lipscomb, with a population of 2,086, until city officials provide all financial records to the state. Marshall suspects that the city, which is part of the Birmingham metropolitan area, has been benefiting from the operations of Jay’s Charity Bingo, as per court documents.
The freeze has halted any financial transactions at city hall, leading to employees not receiving their salaries and services for residents being suspended.
Mayor Tonja Baldwin expressed her frustration, saying, “I had to take my own money to pay someone because I could not write a check to pay the man. It makes no sense whatsoever,” as reported by AL.com.
Disappearing Bingo Machines
In September, Marshall’s office arrested five individuals affiliated with Jay’s Charity Bingo and charged them with third-degree burglary after stolen bingo machines were discovered on the premises.
Authorities identified the machines as stolen due to the presence of Alabama Attorney General’s Office evidence stickers on them. These machines had been seized in an August raid conducted by the DA’s office at another illegal bingo facility in Selma, located 80 miles away.
The machines remained at the Selma venue while awaiting a seizure order, but they vanished before the order could be obtained.
Marshall candidly expressed, “The audacity of stealing something with an evidence sticker on it just demonstrates the lengths to which some individuals will go,” as reported by AL.com.
Despite being shut down during the August raids, Jay’s Charity Bingo apparently resumed operations upon acquiring the stolen machines, as indicated in court documents. The establishment is also affected by the asset freeze.
In a lawsuit filed last week, Marshall contends that Lipscomb is complicit in licensing Jay’s Charity Bingo and continues to receive “illicit funding” from the “unlawful gambling” activities.
Moral Menace
The legality of electronic bingo machines was a long-contested issue in Alabama. Operators claimed compliance with the state’s bingo laws, but Marshall viewed them as a threat to public health, morals, safety, and welfare.
The dispute was settled in October 2022 when the state’s Supreme Court ruled that only traditional bingo games were permissible in the state. Marshall subsequently began enforcing the law.
The court order freezing Lipscomb’s accounts will remain in effect until a court hearing scheduled for December 2.