Taylor to continue fight on illegal gambling

Taylor to continue fight on illegal gambling
Written by Sebastian Kitchen

Before he ran for the state Senate, Bryan Taylor was a key figure in then-Gov. Bob Ri­ley's fight against what they believed was illegal gambling in the state.

Taylor, a Prattville Republi­can who was elected just over a year ago, continued that fight in the Senate in 2011 and has already introduced legislation to be considered when lawmak­ers convene in February.

Although gambling machines at the state's major casinos have been shut down, Taylor wants to make sure that they stay that way and that the ma­chines stop appearing at both large and small businesses. He believes the best way to do that is to make the law tougher and further reaching.
The freshman senator has filed a proposal he originally introduced in March 2011 that died in the session that ended in June. He is hoping that by filing it in advance before this year's session, and with sup­port from Attorney General Luther Strange, that the Senate will pass it.

"I think the people of Alaba­ma are tired of hearing about electronic bingo and the cor­ruption that has been brought to this state by illegal gambling enterprises," Taylor said.

Misdemeanor to felony

Currently, possession of a gambling device such as a slot machine is a Class A misde­meanor in Alabama, according to Taylor. He said they are not changing that aspect of the law.

"This bill would provide that possession of a gambling de­vice in furtherance of a busi­ness enterprise would be a Class C felony," according to the summary of the bill.

Taylor said they changed the bill during the last session to ensure "we were targeting those who were trying to make a business out of this and generate a profit."

Ultimately, he said they want to reach investors, direc­tors, machine makers or "any­one gaining a profit" at any point in the process.

The senator said slot ma­chine companies in Las Vegas and Texas looking to exploit opportunities in Alabama would then know there would be severe penalties.

Currently, possession of the machines is a class A misde­meanor, punishable by a fine of up to $6,000 and up to a year in prison.

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Taylor's proposal would make possessing, selling, trans­porting or manufacturing slot machines or other gambling devices that are illegal in Ala­bama a Class C felony, punish­able by a fine of up to $15,000 and one to 10 years in prison.

Taylor pre-filed the legisla­tion last June, soon after the last regular session ended. The next regular session begins Feb. 7.

Taylor was policy director and a legal adviser to Riley, who formed a task force to eradicate what he believed was illegal gambling in the state. Through raids or the threat of raids, the task force shut down the casinos in the state -- ex­cept for those operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which fall under federal juris­diction.

Bill faces opposition

Some Democratic senators, including Bobby Singleton of Greensboro in west Alabama, where Greenetrack is located, adamantly opposed Taylor's proposal in the 2011 session and said it was an "extension of Gov. Riley to try to continue to shut down what is legal."

Singleton's anger over the proposal led to a tirade on the Senate floor. Other supporters of the gambling establishments in the state argue the machines allow customers to play legal electronic bingo allowed in some areas through local con­stitutional amendments.

Taylor pointed out that char­itable bingo is legal in some counties in the state, but "for-profit slot machines are not."

The Senate, because it was a contentious bill that Democrats made clear they were going to filibuster, did not vote on the bill when it came up in the waning time of the legislative session.

Taylor: Just changes penalty

Taylor said when he first in­troduced his bill that it does not change the definition of a slot machine. He added that people still have their right to due pro­cess in court to challenge whether their machine is a slot.

"The Legislature, many years ago, defined slot ma­chines and said they're illegal in the state of Alabama," Tay­lor said at the time.

If people are certain that they have legal machines, "they should have no problem with this bill," Taylor said.

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Taylor said he recently spoke to Strange about the up­coming session. He said Strange told him the bill was high on his agenda.

Taylor said they agreed there needs to be a larger de­terrent to those interested in opening gambling enterprises in the state.

With the small penalty, the senator said "There is no risk to anyone who wants to try to get in this business." He said they "write off misdemeanor penalties as a cost of doing business."

"We're in agreement that the best way to crack down on the corruption being generated by the illicit gambling industry is to put real teeth in the law," Taylor said.

Some opponents of gambling in the state have pointed to a federal corruption case as an example of its shady influence. One former casino owner, Ron­nie Gilley, and two of his lobby­ists have already pleaded guilty to corruption in the in­vestigation.

The first corruption trial ended in August with two of the defendants being found not guilty on all of the charges against them. The jury did not find any of the nine defendants guilty of the more than 120 counts against them.

A federal judge has set Jan. 30 for a second trial because the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on some charges against each of the other seven defendants includ­ing VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor, a lobbyist for the casino owner, and three cur­rent or former state senators.

Federal authorities accuse them of trying to bribe state lawmakers with cash and cam­paign support in exchange for supporting gambling legisla­tion.