On Tuesday, 22nd August, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall waved the flag of victory, after the Jefferson County Circuit ruled out against a company, accused of offering illegal online sweepstakes games to Alabama-based players.
The Jefferson County Circuit slapped on the wrist the online gambling website Redibids, which was accused of targeting Alabama players by offering them a computer software that includes illegal slot games, which were “masked” as legal games.
Alabama’s legal framework strictly and clearly outlaws the operation of slot machines across the state. Hence, once the Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Jefferson County District Attorney Pro Tem Danny Carr found out about the illicit slot games, they embarked on a hunt against the violators, bringing the case to the court.
On 14th August, the court listened to the evidence to the case, ruling out that the sweepstakes games under question are in fact slot games “under veil”. This resulted in the confiscation of all the machines, which hosted the illicit software. The money generated by the unlawful games were also seized and added to the state’s General Fund.
Mr. Marshall issued a letter to the company, known to operate the online gambling site, which accepted and even targeted Alabama’s residents. The letter aimed to warn the company to stop offering unlawful games via its website Redibids in Alabama by the beginning of September. After conducting an investigation of the website, Mr. Marshall reported that the website is still providing unlimited access to its entire range of games.
In an interview with Mr. Marshall, he explained that he will not compromise with any violations of the rules, as his job is to serve and protect people’s interests. Jefferson County District Attorney Pro Tem Carr added that the crackdown on the online gambling site aims to prevent Alabamians from significant financial losses and to serve as an example to all the rest, who are considering to violate the law.
This is a meaningful sign, that the state does not consider to make any changes to its gambling law, which is currently quite strict. It prohibits the distribution of any games, which are innate to the casino industry, including slot games, blackjack, poker, and roulette.
Experts raised concerns that the tight restrictions may provide favorable conditions for the development of illicit gambling practices, exploring new ways to circumvent the law. This, on the other hand, will lead to a significant money leakage, filling the pockets of the wrongdoers, instead of the state’s coffers.
