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The Senate Tourism and Marketing Committee on Tuesday approved a bill sponsored by Sen. Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, which would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November to allow electronic bingo at 10 locations. A separate bill sponsored by state Sen. Marc Keahey, D-Grove Hill, would allow gaming at eight locations. Keahey also represents Escambia County.

Last week, Poarch officials announced their support of Keahey’s bill.

“We think that the Keahey bill offers several areas that are better for the state as compared to the bill that is currently out,” said Jay Dorris, president and CEO of PCI Gaming Authority.

The Senate committee approval comes amid controversy over gambling statewide, with a political fight being waged over Gov. Bob Riley’s gambling task force.

Task force head John Tyson, Mobile County district attorney, has said the state would try to stop gaming at Indian facilities after it has halted what it says is illegal gaming elsewhere in the state. Tyson could not be reached for comment Tuesday. 

Wind Creek officials maintain that the task force does not have jurisdiction over their Wind Creek Hotel and Casino property.

“We have many, many years, decades, of legal precedence that clearly establishes that our operations are governed by the federal agency and not the state,” Dorris said.

Dorris said Poarch — which owns a controlling interest in Mobile Greyhound Park — is supporting Keahey’s bill in part because it offers more limits on gaming.

Bedford’s bill has loopholes that could potentially allow voting for gaming throughout counties, Dorris said.

“His bill would actually let each county to make a local vote, potentially every county could get a facility,” Dorris said. “We are concerned about being able to limit facilities.”

Limiting the amount of facilities is what Dorris said he believes is the key to solving the issue.

“Our research indicates that people want to limit, regulate and tax gaming,” he said. “So if you take the people at their word, you need to limit gaming.”

Keahey said Tuesday he filed the bill in hopes of bringing the controversy to a vote.

“This has turned into a political circus,” he said. “We’re on the verge of becoming a state that neighboring states begin to laugh at. This bill is an attempt to forge a real compromise.”

Keahey’s bill would grandfather in six sites where gaming already occurs — the Mobile Greyhound Park, VictoryLand, Greenetrack and Birmingham Greyhound Racing and two gaming facilities, Country Crossing and White Hall Resort and Entertainment Center. Two other potential sites would be determined at a later date by a newly formed Alabama Gaming Commission, also proposed under both bills.

The 10 locations in the Bedford bill include the same as the Keahey bill with the addition of a second location in White Hall and one location each in the 4th, 5th and 6th congressional districts in north Alabama to be chosen by a state gaming commission.

In addition, Dorris said the Bedford bill does not include an investment component, which he believes is key for the creation of jobs.

“We believe that they need to be destination points,” Dorris said.

Under Keahey’s bill, each of the eight gaming facilities would have to invest a minimum of $100,000 in improvements, half of which would be required to got toward hotels, restaurants and other amenities that make a destination point.

The Keahey bill calls for 28 percent of the gross bingo proceeds at each facility taxed with no exceptions.

“The Keahey bill also identifies a significant source of revenue in a third party gaming vendor tax,” Dorris said. “Bedford’s bill has no provission whatsoever.”

Under the Bedford bill, the taxes are less and a vendor tax is not included.

“The Keahey bill also accommodates a tax credit for charitable donations; the Bedford bill does not,” Dorris said.

Bedford said last week he is against illegal gambling and proposed the constitutional amendment to regulate existing gaming facilities.

“Because some counties have legal gambling, which was voted on by the people of that county, we also need to regulate those facilities and have statewide standards for legal operations,” Bedford said in a statement. “We need a statewide commission that will regulate and supervise Alabama gaming, ensuring that every operation complies with rigorous standards, just like in other states. These games must be fair, uniform and regulated.”

Riley called Bedford’s bill “crooked.”

“You can be for gambling, you can be against gambling, but what’s in this bill should be an affront to everybody regardless of how they feel about gambling,” Riley said in a statement. “It’s just a crooked bill. This bill doesn’t limit gambling. It allows casinos to open up in every county of this state. It doesn’t regulate gambling. It gives casino operators immunity, so if they break the laws, they can’t be prosecuted. It even gives some casino operators a special low tax rate and fixes that low rate into our constitution.”