http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/12/victoryland_to_reopen_later_th.html#incart_m-rpt-2MONTGOMERY, Alabama --Milton McGregor plans to reopen his dormant VictoryLand casino later this month with new electronic bingo machines, according to his attorney.The gambling machines will put life, employees and customers back on the casino floor, but will likely ignite a fight over whether the machines are allowed under state law. A lawyer for McGregor said the machines will be legal, but Attorney General Luther Strange issued a stern warning that "slot machines are illegal in all 67 counties.""In March, Mr. McGregor said he wanted to open VictoryLand by the end of the year. That is still his plan," attorney Joe Espy said. Espy said the reopening "would include electronic bingo." VictoryLand in Macon County was once the state's largest casino with more than 5,000 electronic bingo machines. McGregor closed the facility in 2010 amid statewide efforts to shut down bingo casinos. State officials argued the machines, which outwardly resembled slot machines, were not what was intended by state laws allowing charities to operate bingo games. McGregor and other casino operators argued technology allowed people to play bingo electronically. Strange pointed to a recent ruling by Jefferson County Circuit Judge Robert Vance that ordered the destruction of machines seized years ago from a casino in Lowndes County. "Judge Vance's ruling last week in the Lowndes County case emphasized that there is no reasonable argument that so-called electronic bingo machines are legal anywhere in Alabama. Slot machines are illegal in all 67 counties, including Macon County. This office will enforce the rule of law accordingly," Strange said in a statement. The new VictoryLand machines will likely be different than the machines that once filled the sprawling casino. Strange struck an agreement with major gambling machine manufacturers such as Bally to voluntarily remove their equipment from Alabama. Espy did not describe what the machines will look like. "The machines that VictoryLand will use will be legal," Espy said. A federal jury in March acquitted McGregor and five others of charges that they tried to buy and sell votes for state legislation aimed at helping the casinos stay open. McGregor's attorney said after the verdict that McGregor, with the trial behind him, was looking forward to reopening VictoryLand.
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