Law enforcement officers raid a casino at Center Stage Alabama and were able to seize a lot of machines a substantial sum of cash. Law enforcers from the office of Attorney General Luther Strange said that the warrant was released because of the ongoing illegal operations by the Bingo Pavilion. For the past few months, the authorities have been investigating and Wednesday marked the culmination of those activities. Strange said that ever since his first day in office, he made it a point to impose illegal gambling laws all over the state.
Strange Outlaws Gambling
The warrant from Strange resulted in the seizure of hundreds of gambling machines, along with a significant amount of cash. The evidence will be used against the Bingo Hall in Alabama in the Houston County court. So far, no arrests have been made and the investigative team has not released information to the public. Center Stage Bingo Hall was given an opportunity to surrender their bingo-related assets in past – to no avail. Thus, AG Strange’s team had no choice but to confiscate all aforementioned items. As recently as the middle of July, law enforcement already blocked people from being able to go inside the casino.
Nationwide Shutdown Looming?
AG Strange added that several of the nation’s gambling machine factories ceased operations because of law enforcement’s efforts to impose illegal gambling laws. One of the casinos that closed is Country Crossing which later re-opened and changed its name to Center Stage. Sadly, this was done with illegal machines. Country Crossing closed in 2010 with the help of the Alabama Department of Public Safety and the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
Ronnie Gilley, the previous Country Crossing developer, was sentenced to more than 6 years in prison after pleading guilty to 11 different counts related to illegal gambling which includes bribery, money laundering and conspiracy. AG Luther Strange said that Gilley offered millions of dollars to state lawmakers so he could get their support for legalized gambling. The AG suggested that the government should increase penalties against illegal gambling operations, to ensure that all operations would cease to exist. Until this happens, illegal casino operators will continue to make millions of dollars and it will continue to be a problem.
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