Birmingham, AL - No "free space" here, but obviously a lot of empty space in Central Alabama since two recent bingo rulings. Last week, in Jefferson County, District Attorney Brandon Falls ordered 30 bingo halls in the Birmingham division to shut down after a ruling from Judge Scott Vowell.

"His ruling said that what as being played on the machines was not bingo," Falls explained.

And in Walker County, one week after Judge Robert Vance ruled electronic bingo illegal there, these bingo hall employees are still putting up a fight, rallying at the courthouse Monday morning and chanting, "We want our jobs. We want our county."

They also want clear guidelines as to what's legal and what's not.

"Judge Vance believes that on the law, that's his opinion. Judge Robertson in St. Clair County had another. Judge Verin in Bessemer had another," says bingo hall attorney Herbie Brewer. "Other Judges across the state have had differing opinions. That's why we have a Supreme Court set up in Alabama."

Bingo operators have asked for a stay while they appeal the ruling. Meanwhile, the deadline to remove machines from Walker County looms.

"The sheriff has told them have them out of the county by the end of business on Thursday," says Walker County DA Charles Baker. "So I would think by the fifth, all of them would be out."

 

A blackout in bingo is usually a good thing, but in this case, many people expect to lose big.

"If we don't get to re-open, I may not be able to get my kids Christmas," says former bingo employee Mark Estes, "and there are no jobs out there."

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