The controversial issue of casino gambling in Alabama came to a peak when the state’s governor, Bob Riley, ordered a raid on a new $87.5 million casino in the middle of the night and the action was halted in its tracks by a judges blocking order.

LA Times: Judge halts state raid of $87M bingo casino in latest round of Alabama’s fight over gambling

Near 40 Alabama state troopers gathered before sunrise, Wednesday, for a Gov. Bob Riley approved raid. The target: bingo machines at a new, allegedly illegal, $87 million casino near Dothan.

Local officials moved quickly to defend the targeted site, going to a judge’s home after midnight to get an order blocking the raid. The order was given to police before they could seize the 1,700 electronic bingo machines at Country Crossing.

County Commissioner Mark Culver denounced the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling’s attempt to shut down the bingo and entertainment complex, which created 1,300 jobs in the struggling community.

Bill Eadington, a University of Nevada at Reno gambling expert, said Alabama casino investors relied on questionable laws to build, but casinos are hard to close when restaurants and hotels, that produce lots of jobs, are added.

ABC News: Judge Halts State Raid of Big Alabama Bingo Center

A rural Alabama county hungry for economic development staved off a state raid on a new bingo and entertainment center despite Bob Riley’s wishes to close it. The county won a middle-of-the-night court order barring the raid as agents from the governor’s anti-gambling task force massed near Country Crossing, an $87 million complex near Dothan.

Houston County Commissioner Mark Culver got the order from a judge’s home at 1:30 a.m. delivered it to the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling assembling for a pre-dawn raid. He was trying to save 1,300 jobs in a county with 8.7 percent unemployment.

The Houston County Commission approved the construction of Country Crossing in 2008 and created a method for it to issue up to $70 million in bonds for construction. Country Crossing sought to stop the raid, claiming it would harm the bond issue that’s supposed to be paid off with bingo revenue.

Alabama gambling centers have been expanding with restaurants and other attractions and portraying themselves as economic development projects providing needed jobs in a recession.

AP News: Midnight order halts Ala. raid of $87M casino

A Gov. Riley approved raid on bingo machines at a new, $87 million casino by himself was stopped before dawn on Wednesday by judge’s order blocking it. Houston County Commissioner Mark Culver secured the judge’s approval and signature.

It was a blow for the governor in Alabama’s odd, ongoing struggle for control over the state’s mushrooming gambling industry. Culver said, “We are going to do everything we can to protect the jobs of the people of Houston County,” in reference to the incident. The governor claims the machines are illegal and simply an attempt to compete with Mississippi’s coastal casinos.

Circuit Judge P.B. McLauchlin agreed that seizing the machines “would do irreparable harm” to the bond transaction and blocked any raid pending a court hearing Jan. 20.

The controversial issue of casino gambling in Alabama came to a peak when the state’s governor, Bob Riley, ordered a raid on a new $87.5 million casino in the middle of the night and the action was halted in its tracks by a judges blocking order.

LA Times: Judge halts state raid of $87M bingo casino in latest round of Alabama’s fight over gambling

Near 40 Alabama state troopers gathered before sunrise, Wednesday, for a Gov. Bob Riley approved raid. The target: bingo machines at a new, allegedly illegal, $87 million casino near Dothan.

Local officials moved quickly to defend the targeted site, going to a judge’s home after midnight to get an order blocking the raid. The order was given to police before they could seize the 1,700 electronic bingo machines at Country Crossing.

County Commissioner Mark Culver denounced the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling’s attempt to shut down the bingo and entertainment complex, which created 1,300 jobs in the struggling community.

Bill Eadington, a University of Nevada at Reno gambling expert, said Alabama casino investors relied on questionable laws to build, but casinos are hard to close when restaurants and hotels, that produce lots of jobs, are added.

ABC News: Judge Halts State Raid of Big Alabama Bingo Center

A rural Alabama county hungry for economic development staved off a state raid on a new bingo and entertainment center despite Bob Riley’s wishes to close it. The county won a middle-of-the-night court order barring the raid as agents from the governor’s anti-gambling task force massed near Country Crossing, an $87 million complex near Dothan.

Houston County Commissioner Mark Culver got the order from a judge’s home at 1:30 a.m. delivered it to the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling assembling for a pre-dawn raid. He was trying to save 1,300 jobs in a county with 8.7 percent unemployment.

The Houston County Commission approved the construction of Country Crossing in 2008 and created a method for it to issue up to $70 million in bonds for construction. Country Crossing sought to stop the raid, claiming it would harm the bond issue that’s supposed to be paid off with bingo revenue.

Alabama gambling centers have been expanding with restaurants and other attractions and portraying themselves as economic development projects providing needed jobs in a recession.

AP News: Midnight order halts Ala. raid of $87M casino

A Gov. Riley approved raid on bingo machines at a new, $87 million casino by himself was stopped before dawn on Wednesday by judge’s order blocking it. Houston County Commissioner Mark Culver secured the judge’s approval and signature.

It was a blow for the governor in Alabama’s odd, ongoing struggle for control over the state’s mushrooming gambling industry. Culver said, “We are going to do everything we can to protect the jobs of the people of Houston County,” in reference to the incident. The governor claims the machines are illegal and simply an attempt to compete with Mississippi’s coastal casinos.

Circuit Judge P.B. McLauchlin agreed that seizing the machines “would do irreparable harm” to the bond transaction and blocked any raid pending a court hearing Jan. 20.

Two friends and co-workers from Indiana, who now describe themselves as retired welders, are splitting the $221.7 million dollar Powerball jackpot. The two buddies who have the appearance and demeanor of Abbot & Costello or Laurel & Hardy have been pooling $4 each Wednesday, playing the Hoosier Lotto for the past seven years that they’ve been working together at Munich Welding Inc.

On April 6, It was Darin Fox’s turn. The 32 year old unmarried welder (the skinny guy in the photo), who lives with his mama and enjoys hunting and super sized trucks was attracted by the 200 million dollar Powerball sign.

So this week on a lark, he decided to spend $2 on the regular Hoosier game and invest the other $2 for a Powerball ticket. Hel let the machine chose the numbers. “The sign with the amount was what made the decision for me to split it up,” Fox said Thursday.

When the next morning he saw the numbers hit he called in sick from work and has been on a vacation ever since. He called his buddy Todd Reardon, 38 and married with an 11 year old son who enjoys big trucks, hunting and cooks a mean BBQ, (the big guy in photo) who at first wouldn’t believe his friend.

“I said boy, boy you lying like a gutter snake in the chicken coop. You been smoking the devil lettuce again or hitting the hooch like that time you climbed on top of papy’s pig barn naked as a jaybird hollering that you is George Washington? Put your mama on the phone so she can slap some sense into your thick head,” said the ever joking newest multi-millionaire Mr. Todd Reardon.

The men took the lump sum payment and aftet feed and taxes, each received a cool $40,000,000 check. The men will owe additional taxes but have already hired lawyers, investment advisors and money managers to make sure they will never have to weld stainless steel toilets again.

Both winners only play single hand Jackpot Deuces video poker and enjoy playing online poker as well.The men said they plan to buy bigger trucks, homes for their families, and lots of hunting land.

Two friends and co-workers from Indiana, who now describe themselves as retired welders, are splitting the $221.7 million dollar Powerball jackpot. The two buddies who have the appearance and demeanor of Abbot & Costello or Laurel & Hardy have been pooling $4 each Wednesday, playing the Hoosier Lotto for the past seven years that they’ve been working together at Munich Welding Inc.

On April 6, It was Darin Fox’s turn. The 32 year old unmarried welder (the skinny guy in the photo), who lives with his mama and enjoys hunting and super sized trucks was attracted by the 200 million dollar Powerball sign.

So this week on a lark, he decided to spend $2 on the regular Hoosier game and invest the other $2 for a Powerball ticket. Hel let the machine chose the numbers. “The sign with the amount was what made the decision for me to split it up,” Fox said Thursday.

When the next morning he saw the numbers hit he called in sick from work and has been on a vacation ever since. He called his buddy Todd Reardon, 38 and married with an 11 year old son who enjoys big trucks, hunting and cooks a mean BBQ, (the big guy in photo) who at first wouldn’t believe his friend.

“I said boy, boy you lying like a gutter snake in the chicken coop. You been smoking the devil lettuce again or hitting the hooch like that time you climbed on top of papy’s pig barn naked as a jaybird hollering that you is George Washington? Put your mama on the phone so she can slap some sense into your thick head,” said the ever joking newest multi-millionaire Mr. Todd Reardon.

The men took the lump sum payment and aftet feed and taxes, each received a cool $40,000,000 check. The men will owe additional taxes but have already hired lawyers, investment advisors and money managers to make sure they will never have to weld stainless steel toilets again.

Both winners only play single hand Jackpot Deuces video poker and enjoy playing online poker as well.The men said they plan to buy bigger trucks, homes for their families, and lots of hunting land.