On Wednesday, the Alabama Attorney General’s office announced that state authorities have raided the illegal casino run by White Hall Entertainment in Lowndes County.
Whitehall is one of a reported 52 illegal gambling establishments being allowed to operate by sheriffs and local officials, who are unwilling to enforce state law. Attorney General Steve Marshall announced on X that he had obtained a temporary restraining order to block White Hall from operating and obtained a search warrant to raid the facility.
BREAKING News | https://t.co/hIE3knygEA pic.twitter.com/cRHPt2r03d
— Attorney General Steve Marshall (@AGSteveMarshall) November 29, 2023
The AG’s office said that it found more than 600 illegal slot machines and multiple entities associated with the casino location, including Cornerstone Community Outreach, Winter Sky LLC, White Sands Technology LLC, BB23 LLC, and R&J Holding Company, Inc. Pursuant to the TRO, the facility has been closed and sealed, all assets of the entities have been frozen, and there can be no further financial transactions connected with the facility or those operating the facility until further orders from the Circuit Court of Lowndes County. The Attorney General’s Office also sought and executed a search warrant at the gambling facility as part of its ongoing investigation.
“Today’s operations reflect the ongoing enforcement of previous orders issued by the Alabama Supreme Court for Lowndes County,” Marshall said in a statement. “The individuals, building owners, and operators of these illegal machines acted in defiance of the law, local court orders, and Supreme Court of our state. Rackets such as these will not be tolerated in Lowndes County or elsewhere in Alabama.”
White Hall has been raided in the past. It was ordered to close last year after it lost in a decision before the Alabama Supreme Court. The Court issued an Order in September 2022 declaring that the operation of “electronic bingo” was an ongoing nuisance in Lowndes County and should be abated by the Circuit Court. White Hall Entertainment chose not to abide by the Circuit Court’s order and instead reopened with illegal gaming machines in defiance of the rule of law.
The Attorney General’s Office led the operation and received assistance and support from White Hall Police Chief Alvetta Coates and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.
“The Alabama Supreme Court’s opinion makes clear what my office has maintained from the start: these gambling enterprises are not only patently illegal under Alabama law, but also a menace to public health, morals, safety, and welfare,” said AG Marshall in a statement at that time. “Today’s decision will forbid the Southern Star, White Hall, and Victoryland casinos from offering their slot-machine gambling to the public.”
“In the five years since I filed lawsuits to cease illegal gambling in five different counties across the state, I have prevailed in court against one deep-pocketed gambling enterprise after another: in 2017, against the River City Casino in Morgan County; in 2018, against the Center Stage casino in Houston County; and, today, against the Southern Star and White Hall casinos in Lowndes County and the Victoryland casino in Macon County,” Marshall continued.
The illegal gambling bosses have appealed to the Alabama Legislature. They are currently attempting to negotiate a deal where the legislature will pass a constitutional amendment allowing certain entities, including White Hall, to operate legally while forbidding other Alabamians from being able to participate in this industry.
Any gambling facility in Alabama with electronic bingo machines, unless it is operated by the Poarch Creek Band of Indians (PCI), is a criminal enterprise that is operating in direct defiance of state law and is not regulated by any gaming commission. PCI is federally licensed under the Indian Gaming Act.
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