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by David Goodwin Wetumpka Herald The crackdown on gambling in Macon County has boosted business for Poarch Creek casinos in Wetumpka and Montgomery, where electronic bingo is played under the governor's nose, but outside his jurisdiction. "We have seen an upturn," Jay Dorris, president and CEO of PCI Gaming Authority, said from his offices at Wind Creek Casino in Atmore. "The (gaming) floors are busier. We're up a little bit financially."
"We do not like seeing those folks lose their jobs (at VictoryLand)," he said. "We compete with VictoryLand and Country Crossing, but hate to see any employees lose their jobs." Business started picking up in Creek casinos soon after the attempted raid by the state Task Force on Illegal Gambling Jan. 29, Dorris said. On Feb. 2, VictoryLand closed its electronic bingo operations for "computer upgrades." By the end of last week, most employees were sent home and the entire complex -- including a greyhound racing track, sports betting operation, restaurants, and the Oasis Hotel -- shut down, with security officers blocking its entrance. Country Crossing, in Houston County, chained its doors shut in the hours before the Jan. 29 raid, and has not reopened. The three Alabama casinos operated by the Poarch band of Creek Indians' PCI Gaming Authority offer electronic bingo games very similar to those at VictoryLand and Country Crossing. But because they operate on sovereign tribal land, the casinos are governed by the federal government, under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. That act allows Indian tribes to operate any type of game that's legal any place in a state. Because bingo is legal in 18 Alabama counties -- despite an often disputed definition -- the slot machine-style bingo games are permitted for PCI Gaming Authority. "We operate under a federal definition of bingo, which allows electronic aides," PCI Governmental Advisor Robert McGhee said. While area officials such as 19th Circuit District Attorney Randall Houston have questioned the legality of Creek games if electronic bingo is thwarted at VictoryLand and other facilities, any regulation or enforcement of PCI casinos would be handled at the federal level. "We are compliant," Dorris said confidently. "We have many certifications (from the Indian Gaming Regulatory Agency) that what we're doing is perfectly fine with them." Though the signs still read Riverside Entertainment Center, Dorris said the local facility will soon be known as Creek Casino Wetumpka. Tallapoosa Casino, the gaming facility on Dozier Road, will be dubbed Creek Casino Montgomery. The change, Dorris said, is "to clarify for the public that we're all part of the Creek gaming property." |
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