Fairfield, AL - Late Friday the State Supreme Court issued a ruling saying the Governor's task force on illegal gambling could continue closing down electronic bingo halls and seize the machines. The ruling comes from a case out of Whitehall. The ruling, for the first time, spelled out exactly what the court says bingo is and that doesn't bode well for west Jefferson county bingo halls still open. What the ruling means is if the game of bingo is not played by the 6 characteristics laid out by the high court then it's not bingo and west Jefferson county bingo halls that are bringing much needed money to cities in that area of the county could be hit hard. For District Attorney Brandon Falls the high court's decision is important saying, "I believe that is the answer that we were looking for." Falls is referring to page 48 of a state Supreme Court ruling giving the 6 characteristics of bingo. For him it's a vindication in his fight to shut down electronic bingo halls in Jefferson County. "I  think so, yes. I think their decision is what we've been arguing all along and it's nice to know we were in the right all along."

But for western Jefferson County, in the Bessemer district, the ruling could spell doom. Bessemer District Attorney Arthur Green's office has allowed the bingo halls in that district to remain open until a court hearing in January, but the ruling by the high court could change that position. The chief assistant in the office, Bill Veitch says, "we haven't made a decision other than the pending litigation in Judge Variance's court so nothing's changed as far as we're concerned as of today." But Veitch says that could change. But don't count the bingo operators out just yet. They are working on a new electronic machine that they say will comply with the 6 characteristics laid out by the high court. The new machine works like regular bingo. Those new machines could be in Fairfield bingo halls by the end of the month and that could change the electronic bingo landscape not inly in Jefferson county, but across the state.

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