Opinion | Alabama’s absurd gambling predicament exposed again

By mid-morning on Monday, the people – hundreds of them – were lined up into the parking lot, waiting on the doors to open at Wind Creek Chicago Southland. By the afternoon, the reviews were unanimous – the newest casino in the Poarch Band of Creek Indians’ portfolio was a hit, drawing rave reviews from customers, industry leaders and the media for its design, layout and “high-end everything.” 

It must be nice, I say, sitting here in Alabama, home of the Poarch Creeks. 

It must be nice to have lawmakers who understand the realities of gambling in this country (and that includes Alabama), who aren’t afraid to let the market work and allow willing and capable companies to construct destination resorts in their states. 

Wind Creek Chicago Southland is projected to haul in more than $200 million in annual tax revenue for the state of Illinois when it’s fully up and running. It will employ more than 1,000 people. It will become a tourist destination, luring people to the Southland while simultaneously paying for the state infrastructure to support it all. 

It’s honestly infuriating to watch from afar. 

Because Alabama could have all of this. It could have large casino resorts that attract tourists from all around the country. It could have destination resorts that are the envy of other states. It could have large, tax revenue producing businesses that prop up our infrastructure and education systems. 

But we have lawmakers too worried about petty nonsense and personal ambitions to get it done. 

I want you to consider one insane stat: Currently, with 16 operating casinos, Illinois has LESS gambling than Alabama. 

Let that sink in. 

Then let this sink in: From that gambling, Illinois got more than $2 billion in tax revenue in 2023. Alabama got a couple million dollars. 

This is the level of lunacy at play here. 

Currently, in Alabama we have three very nice Poarch Creek electronic bingo casinos, two very nice historical horse racing casinos owned by the McGregor family, another historical horse racing casino operating in Greene County, a slew of (maybe illegal) electronic bingo casinos operating in Greene County, a half-dozen electronic bingo casinos operating in Jefferson County and an untold number (possibly hundreds) of small, back-of-the-gas station electronic bingo halls scattered throughout the state. 

From all of those mostly unregulated operations, only the sites with the historical horse racing machines paid state taxes on gambling. 

Are you starting to understand how dumb this is? 

We’ve got more gambling than Vegas at this point, but the tax revenue of … well, Alabama. 

And what’s truly crazy is that we also have people who are respected, well known players in the gaming world in this state – people who other states are working with, people who some of the most well known brands in gaming have long standing relationships with – and we won’t let them work for us. Even when they’re begging to do it. 

In the last legislative session, despite all of the talk about morals and backroom deals killing what would have been a very good comprehensive gambling bill put forth by the House, it was actually the absence of one provision that killed the legislation – not allowing state operators to make a last and best bid for any casino licenses. 

Under such a provision, the people who have been operating gaming businesses in Alabama would have been given an opportunity, at the end of the bidding process, to enter bids exceeding the best bids from out-of-state companies by an agreed upon margin. For example, if Ballys had bid $100 million on a casino license, the Poarch Creeks would have an opportunity to exceed that bid by an agreed upon margin, such as 20 percent. 

The provision would have protected your local business owners who have been paying taxes and hiring Alabamians for decades while doing nothing to jeopardize the open bid process. 

But lawmakers refused to add it and chaos ensued. 

The argument against adding the provision made sense only to those who have no understanding of the gaming world. Basically: there was no reason to give the rubes in Alabama an opportunity because there’s no way they could build resort casinos to match the quality of a Ballys or MGM.  

The people in Chicago and Pennsylvania – where the Poarch Creeks have opened two casinos valued at more than a billion dollars together – would like a word. As would the people at some of the largest gaming companies, which have partnered with the McGregor family on projects. 

It’s all so ridiculously dumb that it makes you want to scream. We’ve literally left a billion dollars per year sitting on the table, while gambling runs wild throughout the state, because our state leaders didn’t trust Alabama business owners to build quality facilities in this state … even as they were building world class casino resorts in other states. 

If you’re wondering how any of it makes sense, it doesn’t.