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Gambling at facilities like the Birmingham Race Course
in Alabama is legal—if it involves the racetrack, and not slot machines.
Previously Jefferson County Court Judge Scott Vowell ruled the video
sweepstakes machines bore no direct resemblance to slot machines. He
approved the MegaSweeps machines at the racetrack concluding that they were
neither a lottery nor a form of gambling, slot machines or otherwise.
That ruling was reversed last week by the Alabama Supreme Court. The Supreme
court unanimously, 8-0, agreed that the MegaSweeps machines bore a
resemblance to how slot machines function, and were therefore illegal in the
state.
This Supreme court ruling has implications beyond the slot machines that
were operating at the Birmingham track. There are currently two important
cases currently before the Cullman County Judge. Judge Frank Brunner will
have to decide whether or not the recent Supreme Court ruling means that the
internet sweepstakes business of two men is illegal. The opposition to the
internet sweepstakes, District Attorney Wilson Baylock believes that the
ruling strengthens his case against the two businessmen.
Some in the state are happy to have clarification about what specific types
of sweepstakes are illegal, and what machines are considered to close to
slot machines. Cullman County Sheriff Tyler Roden said, “From what I
understand, this helps us locally, because it gives as greater clarification
on what’s legal and what’s not.”
The owner of the Birmingham Race Course believed that the ruling could have
a negative impact on the community. In Jefferson County, after the judge
approved the MegaSweeps machines, many others across the county opened. Now
with this new ruling, many may loose their jobs. McGregor said, “It appears
that the Supreme Court concluded that our machines only had to resemble a
slot machine in order to be a slot machine.”
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