Country Crossing officials remain confident that the constitutional amendment allowing the development to operate electronic bingo would pass any legal tests, despite two adverse rulings to electronic bingo in other counties on Monday.
Jay Walker, Country Crossing spokesperson, said the development still plans to open Dec. 1, with about 1,700 electronic bingo machines from multiple manufacturers.
“We feel maybe even a tad bit stronger today than before (the ruling) with our Houston County amendment,” Walker said. “We feel our legislation is really strong and will support the games we plan to play here at Country Crossing.”
A Jefferson County judge ruled Monday that machines in Walker County must be shut down because the machines do not conform to the intent of the original charitable bingo amendment passed in that county in 1992. Another Jefferson County judge made a similar ruling Monday concerning bingo machines in the Jefferson County town of Kimberly.
“We were not shocked when the ruling came down,” Walker said. “Basically, the ruling made a distinction between paper bingo and electronic bingo. We felt all along there was a difference.”
The Walker County ruling from Circuit Judge Robert Vance Jr., stated, in part, that electronic bingo machines in operation there were illegal because it turned what had traditionally been an “active” bingo game with cards, callers and daubers, to a passive game in which the participant pushed a button and allowed the machine to play the game automatically.
Walker, however, said Country Crossing’s machines would involve active player participation.
“We feel that not only will our machines comply with the law, but we feel they go another step beyond that,” Walker said.
Walker said the electronic bingo machines would begin arriving soon, and have been purchased from three or four different manufacturers. He said the machines simply provide a different way of playing bingo, and compared paper bingo and electronic bingo to rotary-dial and cell phones.
“Technology has just caught up with the times,” Walker said.
Walker reiterated Country Crossing’s support of a statewide referendum on electronic gaming.
“We are giving ourselves up to be taxed,” Walker said. “Not many industries can say that.”
Walker said Country Crossing has already employed 600, and spent between $45 million and $50 million.
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