It will never happen here – at least not for a while. It is still a sore subject. But, just what is wrong with electronic bingo?
The subject has caused quite a stir around the state recently with Governor Bob Riley appointing a task force on “illegal gambling.” This group recently made a raid on the White Hall bingo hall – carrying away over $500,000 in cash and about 100 machines. Why? Isn’t bingo legal in Lowndes County? Didn’t we vote on a constitutional amendment not too long ago to make it legal in White Hall?
Gov. Riley said, “yes” that we voted and “no” that it is not legal.
What?
Gov. Riley says the machines are illegal because they are “slot machines.”
Well, I have to agree that they do resemble “slot machines.” However, they sure do not work like any “slot machines” I have seen.
If you have ever been to VictoryLand in Shorter, you understand the difference. Or if you have been to any of the Creek Indian bingo halls you understand the difference. The machines Gov. Riley is trying to get declared illegal are just electronic bingo machines. They are tied to bingo cards that are in the upper corner of each machine. You may choose to play the video-like or spinning reel games the machines have or you can touch the card in the corner and bore yourself to death watching balls drop and spots darkened on the card.
You still do not understand?
Well, let me tell you this . . . get three triple diamonds or sizzling sevens in a row and see what happens. Many people may think they have just won the jackpot – the progressive jackpot with the tons of dollars that come with it. In most cases, that is wrong. You could win anywhere from $1 to a million dollar jackpot. Why? Because it is bingo. You have to get the correct winning bingo on the card that is at the top of the machine. Simply getting a straight line of numbers covered will not give you the big jackpot. Getting four corners will not do it. Getting a small cross bingo isn’t the right one either. In most cases, it requires that you get a “K” bingo – that’s a straight bingo down the first column and diagonal numbers from the center to the top right and bottom right corners.
I’ve seen people get excited when they did not pay attention to the card they were playing and when they saw the triple diamonds or whatever the high dollar symbol is on the machine fall in place. They screamed loud enough to wake the dead and bust the eardrums of anyone close by. Then they found out they didn’t win the big money and were disappointed.
But, that’s bingo. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
Gov. Riley says there is no such thing as “electronic bingo.” He says bingo has to be played with paper sheets, a marking pen of some nature and a guy, or gal, sitting on a stage reading out numbers from balls blown or tumbled through some other device. How boring is that? Apparently, Gov. Riley has not been introduced into modern society where we play Wii. We can play football, baseball, basketball, bowling, tennis, golf and many other games with a Wii – even bingo may be played on many electronic games. Oh, you say that’s okay because it is free? Well, apparently you haven’t purchased on of those electronic game devices, like Wii, that allow you to play all of those games.
Gov. Riley cannot even get Alabama Attorney General Troy King to agree with him about electronic bingo. King believes it is legal to play “electronic versions” of bingo. He says, in his view, the games must include a bingo grid, competition against other players and a winner for every game. That sounds like the machines I’ve seen in Shorter. Some of the machines even tell you when there are not enough people to play the game – though that is rare.
The best thing the governor can do is to quit worrying about people playing bingo on electronic devices and just tax the devices and the money the people win. Our state is in bad need of money. Ask our school systems, Medicaid programs and transportation department if there is enough tax money coming in.
Georgia, Tennessee and Florida surround us to the north, south and east and all have lotteries. Mississippi borders us to the west and it has casino gambling. Guess what? Those states collect taxes from those ventures. They aren’t out paying a couple of lawyers $450,000 to act as deputy attorney generals outside of King’s office, and control, to represent the state in court against electronic bingo during a time of proration.
Gov. Riley, there are just too many other things to worry about instead of whether folks are playing bingo – either old-style or the modern way.
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