Judge: State Can’t Shut Down VictoryLand While Letting Other Casinos Operate
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A judge says the state of Alabama can’t shut down VictoryLand in Macon County while letting other electronic bingo casinos to operate.
Circuit Judge William Shashy issued the ruling Thursday. He dismissed the state’s attempt to keep 1,615 machines and more than $260,000 seized in a 2013 raid.
VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor says the decision clears the way for VictoryLand to reopen.
Attorney General Luther Strange’s office didn’t have any immediate comment. But it has fought in the past to keep VictoryLand closed.
The judge says VictoryLand is shut down while three other, similar operations remain open elsewhere in the state. Shashy says that violates the principle of equal protection under the law.
The ruling follows a trial Shashy held last year on the legality of gambling machines at VictoryLand.
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