Milton McGregor said yesterday that Governor Bob Riley and John Tyson, the head of the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling, “are acting like a bunch of third world thugs.” That’s rich. Ousted and disgraced Birmingham Mayor, Larry Langford won 521 jackpots between 2006 and 2008 totaling more than 1.5 million dollars at McGregor’s currently shuttered Victoryland casino. According to a witness, one August day Mr. Langford was apparently escorted to specific machines by a casino employee. The witness alleges that while she won nothing that day, Mr. Langford left with somewhere in the neighborhood of 50k dollars in his pocket. Coincidence? Mr. McGregor would have us believe just that. If Riley and Tyson are third world thugs then uncle Milty certainly must be the real world embodiment of Tony Soprano.
If there is any profession that breeds more corruption than politics(with apologies to my office-holding acquaintances) it would likely be the career of gambling magnate. So, even if Gov. Riley and Mr. Tyson have been involved in some manner of shady dealings it would stand to reason that Mr. McGregor has likely been involved in more. Take that for what it’s worth but the plethora of movies involving crooked casino bosses can’t all be total fiction can they?
Consider that what Mr. McGregor peddles to the unfortunately gullible masses is dreams of wealth and luxury that in reality usually end up as empty gas tanks and unpaid utility bills. Promises such as this beget greed and greed begets corruption. I’ll let you use your power of deductive reasoning to figure out the rest of this equation but it ain’t exactly rocket surgery.
Seems as though I remember some old adage about what occurs when you point your finger at someone else. Maybe I just made that up, I’m not sure. Nevertheless, I hope the glass that Mr. McGregor’s house is made of is of the tempered variety. Those stones are awfully big.
The View From We2 
What the media and Tyson neglected to report was that after winning $50K, Langford–flushed with victory that day–continued playing other machines until he lost $75,000. In fact, to date, Langford has lost $3.5 million to Victory Land. Okay, just kidding; but wouldn't that be priceless?
LOL! Had me going for a minute there!
Really? You are passing judgment on a person based on movies and what Riley and Tyson spoon feed you? The fact is Milton McGregor has worked hard to create a successful business that employs – or did employ close to 2000 people – What Riley is doing is personal – if you are really concerned about someone spending their rent money on gambling, then maybe you should walk down the street and work to close Riverside – who by the way is bringing in more machines to meet the demand caused by closing VictoryLand, Whitehall and Country Crossing – machines that will pay NO taxes to Alabama – what about alcohol & tobacco – people waste tons of money on that too – I know people who have spent the utility money on designer clothes – maybe Tyson can stand at the Dillard's register and require proof that all bills are up to date before making a purchase and if not – to the thrift store they go! GROW UP – people need to be responsible for making their own decisions and either suffer the consequences or reap the rewards – and glass houses? Anyone even halfway involved in Wetumpka politics should not accuse anyone else of corruption!
Anyone who doesn't think that gambling breeds corruption is simply in denial. I had you pegged as a bit more level-headed, Kris. People are free to do whatever they choose with their money as long as it is legal. The simple fact is that these machines are not bingo. They are slot-machines. Alabama law says so and so does the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. It's actually pretty plain. It doesn't strike you as a bit odd that Larry Langford was able to hit so many jackpots in such a short period of time? Could be a coincidence I suppose but it sure doesn't have that appearance outwardly.It is strange to me how it is okay for you to accuse me of somehow being corrupt but it is not okay for me to allege the same thing about Milton McGregor. Funny how that works.If the machines are illegal, as I believe they plainly are, then the people who choose to shovel their money into those machines shouldn't be able to do so until they are made legal. Prostitution is illegal and just because a prostitute's family may suffer a loss of income when she is arrested doesn't make it okay for her to continue to practice her craft does it?Change the law and make the machines legal and then I'll have to change my argument. For the time being, I'll have to respectfully disagree with you, which is more than I can say you did for me. Nevertheless, thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
OK I read over the original post again and I have yet to see where anyone passed judgement on anyone. What I do see is a comment that is angry and dripping with arrogance. The point is gambling is illegal. Alcohol, smoking and buying nice clothes are not. If you would like them to be contact your local law maker. Maybe Riley's analogy of gamblers being like meth users was bad, but that expensive clothes comment was just as bad. I mean really? Come on now. The point is the law is being broken. Can I decide tomorrow that speed limits do not apply to me? When Crossroads was shut down in Autauga County people lost jobs and a small business owner was put out of business. Where was all the uproar over those peoples jobs? Do people not care about poor homely strippers? And if not why not. They lost their incomes too. If the state can stop the non indian casinos they can close the indians too. It's a process. If the people of Alabama change the law, I won't like it, but then I would see it as smoking and drinking. An activity I will not engage in, but at that point it would be your prerogative to do so if it is legal. Laws can be changed, but never ignored.
The machines that are illegal should have never been allowed to be set up to begin with. Illegal is illegal! Doesn't matter if the illegal operation employs 2000 or 200,000. I'm tired of the taxpayers having to pay for gambling with state funds for troopers, Attorney General's time, court costs, lawyers, Governor's task force, the debate going on at the capital and no telling what else. The State of Alabama does not have the money to waste. What I really want to know is what's up with Troy King's statements? Why would the attorney general not want illegal actions stopped? Is this all about politics and King's future as a politician? Mmmmm….makes you think about who has whose hand in whose pocket.
You guys get it. I think Kris does, too, but was obviously quite angry over my comments when he responded. Illegal activity is just that, illegal! It's not about people losing jobs. It's about obeying the law. I'm at a total loss as to why that is so hard for anyone to grasp.I was watching one of the "Sweet Home Alabama" ads that have been running frequently lately. One headline that is shown on one particular commercial said something to the effect of the jobs that are being lost as a result of these closed casinos hit the poorest counties the hardest. Is it unreasonable to believe that part of the reason for the abject poverty in these counties is because so many residents lose so much money in the casino? Let's not make this harder than it has to be.
Under "if it looks like a rat and smells like a rat"….Tax returns that are part of a civil lawsuit show former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford hit 555 electronic bingo jackpots worth more than $1.5 million over a three-year period. Langford’s state returns for 2006, 2007 and 2008 are part of the record in a lawsuit in Greene County, where plaintiffs contend electronic bingo machines at the GreeneTrack casino in Eutaw were rigged to allow Langford to win large sums of money. A similar lawsuit was filed in Macon County where plaintiffs contend machines at VictoryLand were rigged to allow Langford to win large jackpots. Langford says he doesn’t remember hitting so many jackpots. Lawyers for both casinos have denied the claims. Langford was convicted in October by a federal jury on 60 counts including bribery, money laundering and conspiracy.From todays Montgomery Advertiser