Alabama’s new attorney general thinks that the electronic bingo machines operating in tribal casinos are illegal. He recently sent a letter to the National Indian Gaming Commission telling them that the games are prohibited and should be shut down.

Luther Strange, who took office last month, says that Alabama’s state-regulated businesses are not allowed to carry electronic bingo games (which is still being debated). However, previously the NIGC said that electronic bingo can only be banned from tribal casinos if all forms of bingo are banned in Alabama. Since paper bingo games are allowed, they say, the tribe’s electronic bingo games are allowed.

Almost two years ago, Shawn Pensoneau, spokesman for the NIGC said that if the state allows paper bingo to be “played within the state boundaries, then the tribe is allowed to offer similar games, including…the electronic form of bingo.” Before becoming the new governor, Bob Bentley said that “the only way you could get rid of those is to have no gambling at all in the state of Alabama.”

Such a thing would be fine with Bentley, of course. The new anti-gambling governor favors letting the residents of Alabama decided yes or no on abolishing all forms of gambling. He’s hoping they vote yes.

This is a reminder that although Governor Bentley and Attorney General Strange are better for the state’s gamblers than previous governor Bob Riley and Troy King, they are certainly not on the gamblers’ side. Governor Bentley abolished Riley’s anti-gambling task force, but still expects Strange to enforce gambling bans. Strange has offered to allow the courts to decide whether electronic bingo machines on Alabama territory are legal, probably because he believes the courts will rule in his favor.

All of this reminds me of a funny campaign sign I saw in November. The sign said “Vote for Luther Strange. He’s not Troy King.” That’s really the bright side for Strange. Sure, he’s not great, but at least he’s not King.

Gambling law in Alabama may soon change. The state has traditionally been against gambling, but recent events have some people, the residents as well as politicians, reconsidering their position. Electronic bingo machines, which are currently illegal, have sprung up across the state, but so far nothing has been done about it. Governor Robert Riley was frustrated with the fact that the city police and attorney general seemed to look the other way. In response, he formed a Task Force on Illegal Gambling last year.

One of the first actions of the task force was to raid three establishments believed to be housing illegal gambling, which include Country Crossing, VictoryLand and the White Hall Entertainment Center. However, since they did not have a warrant, a judge ordered that the raid be halted. VictoryLand then filed a restraining order. Since then, a warrant has been issued to search the establishments and in response, the businesses have closed indefinitely to avoid being raided.

And that’s where things get tricky. If the businesses are indeed running illegal gambling operations, Riley is well within his rights by going after them, though many in the gambling community see him as an evil anti-gambling activist. The attempted raids and subsequent closings, however, have stirred up controversy in the state and now it seems that the people don’t even agree with the gambling ban anymore.

Once a strong anti-gambling voice, the people of Alabama have seen their state, like the rest of the country, mired in a bad recession. Jobs are scarce and with those businesses shut down, the economy is hurting even more and countless workers are wondering if they still have jobs. As a result, a recent poll by the Christian Coalition shows that 2/3 of the people of Alabama are opposed to Riley’s gambling raids and a poll by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama found that 72% of the people are in favor of regulated gambling in the state and only 25% want gambling outlawed.

In response, Riley’s popularity in the state is falling and state Representative Marcel Black introduced a bill that would allow the voters to decide whether or not to legalize gambling. At this time, shutting down illegal gambling is perfectly constitutional, but doing so could hurt Riley. With thousands of jobs at stake, no one wants to be the guy who made the unemployment situation in Alabama even worse. For that reason, it may be best to let the people vote and see what they decide. In the meantime, do nothing. It may turn Riley’s stomach to turn a blind eye to illegal activity, no matter how harmless, but it may be what’s best for the state, his reputation and that of his party.