JASPER, Ala. (AP) — A judge who declared electronic bingo illegal in Walker County says he will decide within days whether to allow the games to continue until a higher court rules on an appeal.
Circuit Court Judge Robert S. Vance last week ordered electronic bingo halls in Walker County to close. On Monday, lawyers for charities, electronic bingo hall operators and machine manufacturers asked Vance to allow the games until the Alabama Supreme Court rules on an appeal.
They cited hardship and economic loss as a result of the halls closing. They argued that if the high court overturns Vance's opinion, those losses cannot be recouped.
Vance determined that the Alabama Legislature and county voters who ratified the Walker County bingo amendment intended to allow only the traditional form of the game.
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