Gilley organizing Country Crossing rally
JIM COOK/Dothan Eagle
Ronnie Gilley talks about the offer to move Country Crossing to Mississippi Saturday during an exclusive interview with the Eagle.
A week ago, Country Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley was feeling pretty good about the multi-million-dollar entertainment complex under construction on U.S. 231 South.
The project, first proposed by Gilley 11 months ago, was moving along until the governor put together this task force last week looking at the legality of electronic slot machines. Country Crossing’s economic facilitator is an electronic charitable bingo hall that will operate with 1,500 machines.
“We had a moment of peace and silence, then it was shot,” Gilley said.
Some more recent investors pulled from the project. The bulk of those who knew the venture for what it was – risky from the get-go – are still on board.
On New Year’s eve, a casino interest in Gulfport, Miss., tried to recruit Gilley to move the project to the Magnolia State. Gilley said because of family, he does not want to relocate though some investors see the offer as a “back-up plan.”
On Saturday, Gilley said he did experience some sleepless nights last week, as 2009 was swept in with an air of uncertainty. By Sunday night, he had recouped his optimism.
“I am feeling good. Feeling confident,” he said. “I am surrounded by supporters as we speak.”
Gilley is in the midst of planning a second Country Crossing support rally, similar to one held last spring which showed one local politician and others in opposition, that many do want the jobs, the outlet and the opportunities the project is expected to bring – even with the bingo component.
Gilley is currently working on getting singer and actor Jamie Foxx in for the rally, as well as a major country music star. He expects the event to happen within the next three weeks at the Dothan Civic Center. The rally could be moved to the Country Crossing site if more space is needed.
Gilley re-emphasized his commitment to keep the project in Houston County.
“We have no intentions of moving this project. We would have to be ran out before we leave. I have my heart, body, soul, money ... everything I have is invested in this project. We are going to ride it out and I am confident we will bring it to fruition.”
The Enterprise native said he does remain frustrated at the continued opposition to bingo, which currently operates in other parts of the state.
“The food and beverage industry is risky,” he said. “This project is not possible without some kind of main anchor tenant. Whether it is bingo, slot machines, or a lottery – people will play. They will play it anyway.
“What we are doing that is different is, we are going to use the bingo to create more opportunity. That’s opportunity for ourselves sure, but also opportunity for other people. Opportunity like no one has ever seen before.”
Gilley’s first-ever BamaJam festival last June drew upwards of 150,000 people from 29 states. He expects eventually every weekend at Country Crossing to become like a mini BamaJam.
Since the onset of the project, Gilley has taken a grassroots approach in fighting the the politicians and the preachers. Supporters of the project are vocal, and during BamaJam, Gilley often took to the stage and urged the crowd to take a hard look at their elected politicians.
“Politics is an ugly, ugly, ugly business,” Gilley said Saturday. “This project is economic development. Why would the governor be against it? At some point, somebody has to start standing up. This project is crucial to the state. We need support and we need people to come together.”
The rally date and entertainers could be announced as early as today.
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Reader Reactions
Coffee County is a dry county. ‘Nuff said.
Toobad - I think you should probably research the spiritual beliefs of some of our founding fathers. You might be quite surprised.
If someone does not want to gamble, so be it. No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to gamble. But, what gives you the right to tell me I can’t gamble. I don’t need a keeper. But thank you for being so concerned about my soul.
Although Gilley promotes gambling as an economic development tool, casino type gambling is a loser when subjected to rigorous cost-benefit analysis by economists.
I can’t believe all the people that somehow believe that the gambling part of CC is going to somehow cure every problem with revenue we have in the state and county. I don’t know what economics class you people attended but it has been proven over and over again that gambling is a huge drain on the local economies where casinos are at.
Mr. gilley says he can do Country Crossing without the gambling part, so why have it then Gilley? I don’t Gilley is doing this just because he’s a great guy, maybe he is and maybe he ain’t. I don’t know him but I do know something doesn’t add up when this stuff was hidden from the public by the Houston County Commission and Gilley. If it was so great why didn’t Coffee County want the bingo? Isn’t Coffee County Gilley’s home county? If it was so great why did they hide it all from the public untill two days before it was approved in houston county?
1. Nobel Laureate Paul Samuelson who is smarter than any of us said, “(Gambling) involves simply sterile transfers of money or goods between individuals, creating no new money or goods. Although it creates no output, gambling does nevertheless absorb time and resources. When pursued beyond the limits of recreation, where the main purpose after all is to kill time, gambling subtracts from the national income.“
2. Earl L. Grinols, a University of Illinois economist found through research that “analysis of data compiled from around the country suggests that opening a casino eventually costs a community at least 1.9 times more than its benefits, Earl L. Grinols, a UI economist, writes. This amounts to a yearly national loss of at least $27.5 billion.“ I wonder how that Bingo Casino would affect us in the Wiregrass?
3. A major source of the social cost of gambling comes from the relatively small (but growing) group known as problem and pathological gamblers. “Two-thirds to 80 percent of gambling revenues come from the 10 percent of the population that gambles most heavily. Expressed in reverse, 90 percent of the population may provide as little as 20 percent of casino revenues,“
4. How about you business owners in Dothan and the surrounding area? Get this, Lost productivity from sick days off for gambling and extended lunch hours is another cost borne by the local economy. Between 21 and 36 percent of compulsive gamblers report losing a job because of their gambling habit, according to information from gambling treatment centers.
5. Churches and Foodbanks in the Dothan area should listen up on this one: At least one in five compulsive gamblers file for bankruptcy after they have exhausted multiple credit cards and other lines of credit, often putting their families in jeopardy.
6. Children and the Elderly, Dothan families get a load of this: According to a recent Reader’s Digest article: “Today, more kids gamble than are involved with drugs, smoking or drinking” (Mar. 2001, p. 160). While it is illegal for minors to play lotteries, studies show that in states such as Texas and Louisiana about one-third of adolescents buy tickets. Additionally, many casinos run “free” shuttles to retirement homes, conveniently timed to coincide with the arrival of Social Security checks at the beginning of the month, exploiting an often lonely and vulnerable segment of society.
Where can you find information to make an INFORMED decision on bringing gaming into our area? Many places but I would start with economist that know something about how the economy works. Go to, and google the names and you’ll find all kinds of data that shows Gilley is selling a crappy bill of goods to us all:
http://news.illinois.edu/biztips/01/10gamble.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080923134320.htm
http://www.sensibletalk.com/journals/robertniles/200809/64/
http://www.buckeyeinstitute.org/docs/Policy_Report_-_Economic_Analysis_of_Gambling_in_Ohio.pdf
I would like to go to see Country Crossing with the music and entertainment but I don’t want the gambling in our community for economic reasons not religious reasons. It’s just poor economic policy.
Amen (justpeachy)enough of all this judgmental crap about the bingo our county is going pro ration with the schools and hardly no jobs for people we need this project we as people religious or not don’t have the right to tell another person what to do or not to god gave us free will in spite of everything that going on god still in charge…stay in prayer.
What a bunch of fine people on here! One has joined the fray on this board and has $30,000,000 to invest in this place??? Yeah right, investors scan the papers looking for investments in lower Alabama all the time and can’t seem to find Gilleys number in the phone book. He’d be with you like a duck on a June bug I’m sure if you really had 30 million to invest.
Gilley is very presumptuous to think this GOV Riley thing is all about him. What an ego! Riley in an article published right on this website said he was looking at all gambling across the State.
If he’s within the law then Country Crossing will be fine, if not then they will have to change what they are doing, it’s that simple. After all he said gambling is only a very minor part of it, me thinks the way this is going down Gilley knows that this is a major part of it.
The rest of you that Christian bash, your freedom of speech you owe to bunch of Christians that wrote the constitution, died to form this nation, and continue to help the homeless, bailout people that can’t afford food for their families, worked and continue to work to help those that lose everything in disasters, help alcoholics get off the booze, give toys to children for Christmas when their parents can’t afford to and give much more to charity to help the less fortunate than Ronnie Gilley and gambling friends ever has or will.
I’m all for country crossing but can tell you that I’d rather not have bingo apart of it. I read an old article right here on this page that Gilley said he didn’t need the Bingo to build CC, it was a quote! So why now has he got to have casino style gambling?
Why does he insist on dividing the community and Christian Bash? Why do some of you Christian bash when they are the ones everyone turns to for help when no one else will help pay the light bill, put food on the table, or help get your kid’s some clothes?
Christians built this nation but yet some of you bash them without cause because they disagree with you on gambling?
I’ve seen some of you say some awful things personally to one of the posters on here like a pack of wild animals and not one of you that disagree on principle ever said hey the guy is entitled to his opinion and personal attacks on him, his family and his faith are uncalled for.
I’m mostly ashamed of the Dothan Eagle for not policing the comments on this site better. If they can’t then the comments need to be turned off.
I’ll defend anyone’s right to say most anything as long as it isn’t vulgar and demeaning like I’ve seen from some of the Gilley supporters. Makes me think I want nothing to do with him or Country Crossing if this is the way he and his people argue their side.
Like I said I can support CC music and other stuff but the anti-gambling people have made some good points from some solid university studies that I have yet to see Gilley or any gambling supporter refute intelligently.
If so many people are for it, why not do away with the gambling part and make the investment a publically traded investment and I might even invest a small bit, maybe others would do the same.
How about it Ronnie, do away with the gambling and offer shares to us in the area that have small amounts to invest. If it does well then we’ll all do well, and it will help spread wealth around the Wiregrass! I’m sure even the Christains in the are may invest if you did that, or is it just about gambling to make just a few people wealthy?
Goodnight
Good luck Mr. Gilley, my company was not able to reach you today, we still have $30,000,000.00 we wish to invest. I have two friends that are country singers that are pledge to your venture. Thank you from a person who grew up in the wiregrass. An yes it is boring there, I mean really the only thing going is the Peanut Festival and it is basically the same thing year after year. I am not knocking the Peanut Festival my point is something new needs to come along.
In all of god’s teachings and lessons for life, there is one gift, and one might even say burden, that he gave mankind: the gift of free will. Country Crossings and it’s gambling issues should be allowed to succeed or fail as the public sees fit. The public can’t make its judgement until free will is exercised. I have read back on this blog since yesterday and I have seen a lot of judgement. BTW, I’m the sinner that JKolkman said should move out of the state with my sinful ways. We ALL have sinful ways, we just don’t sin the same. Some people choose to sit on a self-made throne looking down on others. Some people choose to go to Vegas BABY! Tell you what; you pray for me and I’ll pray for you. Maybe one of us will get there. Remember, I heard somewhere they don’t let hypocrits in either.
Kellibugg does have a point. We need jobs, people!
This dead boring place needs something that’s for sure. We need jobs, I say let’s go for it. Then some of the baptist people won’t have to sneak out of town to gamble…hehe
What happened to our freedom of choice? The people have spoken and the majority has made their decision! Why the controversy over Country Crossings? Look at what job opportunities it could bring. Look at how money brought in could help with our schools. I work for one of our schools and I never know from one day to the next if I’ll have a job or not. Remember all the talk about proration!! Compare our school systems to Georgia and Florida. We need jobs here and our schools need funding! Country Crossings could help with both! Have you looked at the “help wanted” in the Dothan Eagle? It’s a joke! We need growth. We need opportunities. Gov. Riley now wants to step in with his so called TASK FORCE. For what? He wants to stop electronic bingo which will effect Country Crossings from happening. We as citizens should have a choice to play bingo or whatever. Just like we have a choice to go to bars, go across state lines to play the lotto (this means our money goes to another state), go to Shorter, AL to Victory Land, play bingo at church for “charity” and last go to the National Peanut Festival (there are games there and people pay money to play them)!!! Is Gov. Riley going to put a stop to all of the things I listed above?! Each year at the end of the National Peanut Festival we hear what a success it was. Let Country Crossings be a success!! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see how the economy is. It’s going to get worse!! The way I see it, if you don’t want it, if you don’t support it, then turn a blind eye to it and STAY HOME!!!!I’m in favor of it and I’ll choose whether to go or stay home. That’s my right and my freedom of being able to choose. Don’t give up! Hang in there Ronnie!!!!
Better yet, promise the Alabama Baptist Association a sizable yearly donation and see how QUICKLY their views on this matter change. Heck, they would probably send all their preachers and deacons to help get it built faster.
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