Teams of state and federal agents fanned out across Jefferson County this week, shuttering the doors of more than a dozen bingo halls.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the shutdowns were carried out by his office and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, as well as FBI and DEA agents. Hoover police also assisted.
“These facilities were operating in blatant disregard in violation of state law and apparently without any fear of reprisal,’’ Marshall said at a press conference held Thursday outside Super Highway Bingo on Bessemer Super Highway in Brighton.
“If you drive around where these facilities are located, you’ll notice that while these facilities are raking in tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash every month, they are not lifting these communities up,” he said.
“Nobody’s property values have increased as a result of these facilities,’’ Marshall said. “The economies in these areas have not improved. No neighborhood has flourished as a result of the presence of these so-called casinos.”
Marshall said his office obtained temporary restraining orders against 14 illegal gambling facilities in Jefferson County involving more than 2,400 illegal slot machines and multiple non-profit and for-profit entities.
The TRO’s require the facilities to cease all operations, the property cannot be used or accessed, and there can be no further financial transactions connected with the facility or those operating the facility until further orders from the Circuit Court of Jefferson County.
No arrests have been made.
Here is the list of businesses shut down:
– Shoot the Moon Bingo, 615 Bessemer Superhighway, Midfield
– Paradise, 3528 Main Street, Brighton
– Legion Bingo, 7070 Aaron Aronov Drive, Fairfield
– Kings & Queens Bingo, 6556 Aaron Aronov Drive, Fairfield
– Charity Bingo, 1266 Forestdale Square, Birmingham
– Jay’s Charity Bingo, 1329 Eastern Valley Road, Bessemer
– Just the Right Time Bingo (Bam Bamz), 1074 Forestdale Boulevard, Birmingham
– Magic City Bingo, 315 36th Street, Fairfield
– Plaza Bingo, 1421 Forestdale Boulevard, Birmingham
– Jay’s Charity Bingo, 5130 Bessemer Superhighway, Brighton
– Pinson Valley Bingo, 5115 Pinson Valley Parkway, Pinson
– Skills Bingo, 1612 Forestdale Boulevard, Birmingham
– American Legion #1228 Graysville Bingo, 1523 South Main Street, Graysville
– Superhighway Bingo, 5131 Bessemer Superhighway Brighton
Marshall previously took legal action against four of these same gambling facilities in Jefferson County in 2019; pursued and obtained injunctions against illegal gambling operations in Macon and Lowndes counties as illegal nuisances; and obtained judgment against Greenetrack in Greene County which resulted in the State of Alabama receiving a final judgment for $76 million in unpaid taxes.
Marshall said he finds it interesting that nobody talks about the pitfalls of having illegal gambling facilities.
“The law-abiding citizens who live around these facilities and who own property in these areas are the forgotten victims of these type of establishments, establishments that are historically associated with thefts, fraud, gangs, drugs and ultimately violence,’’ the attorney general said.
“The good people of these communities deserve better than illicit casinos in their neighborhoods, and they deserve to have elected officials who are willing to keep it out,’’ he said.
“I’m familiar with the chatter and the narrative that arrives anytime that my office cracks down on illegal gambling,’’ he said. “People say that gambling isn’t hurting anybody or that some how there are other real problems for us to solve.”
“Y’all, we don’t get to pick and choose the laws in which we enforce,’’ he said. “And certainly, you prioritize your resources but you cannot just ignore rampant gambling that’s going on across your county.”
Marshall did not say why the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was not involved in Tuesday’s countywide operation.
Sheriff Mark Pettway has faced criticism for his handling of bingo halls amid allegations that he was allowing them to operate, against state law, to help his brother, Bruce Pettway.
“My brother does not own any bingo here in Jefferson County nor is he a partner in bingo nor does he have any investment in bingo,’’ Pettway said in a previous interview with AL.com. “He was a partner in Greene County years ago but that was dissolved before I even became sheriff.”
The sheriff office has said previously, and repeatedly, said that addressing violent crime is a priority of the sheriff’s office, not enforcing gambling laws.
Sheriff’s officials on Wednesday declined comment following the closure of the bingo halls and Marshall’s press conference.
Marshall said the investigation is ongoing.
“The chairman of the county commission asked for our office’s resources as well as various legislators and numerous citizens and so we are here,’’ he said. “There will be more to come as we examine all of the evidence collected. Laws are laws.”
“Gambling is illegal in Alabama as the Supreme Court has recently affirmed,’’ he said. “Allowing the illegal gambling to operate freely in broad daylight is offensive to the rule of law and we simply aren’t going to tolerate it.”
“The reality is they’ve been allowed to open and continue,’’ Marshall said. “Yesterday’s operation is a step in making sure they’re closed.”
“I can’t speak for local officials and why they’ve allowed it to continue, but what I saw inside this room is illegal in the state of Alabama and it undermines the legitimacy of law enforcement to be able to allow that to continue, he said.
Several citizens, including a bingo hall worker, attended the attorney general’s press conference.
Jesse Thompson, 70, has worked at Super Highway Bingo for years.
“Everybody that comes in here are decent people, older people, they come from church sometimes,’’ Thompson told AL.com. “I think they’re shutting it down because it all has to do with Montgomery and the attorney general. He just wants everybody to know he’s got his hands on everything.”
“It hurts people that work here every day,’’ Thompson said. “They’re not trying to get food stamps, they’re making honest money.”
Thompson said he believes Marshall’s actions are politically motivated.
“They’re unfairly targeting Jefferson County in particular, and Blacks in general,’’ he said. “That’s what I feel like. I think they’re targeting Jefferson County because it’s a staple of democrats, liberals or whatever you want to call it. “
“People should be able to do what they want to with their money,’’ he said. “It’s an injustice.”
“In these times, everybody needs a little bit of relaxation,’’ he said. “I may not can go to Aruba, but I can go to the bingo hall. I don’t even play bingo, but to each his own.”
Marshall said there are plenty of other jobs available.
“All I can say is there are opportunities to work at lawful businesses throughout this state and throughout this community,’’ he said. “This is not an economic development situation behind me. This is an illegal operation that can’t be allowed to continue.”
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