Senators Randy Price and Jay Hovey Vote with Democrats to Expand Gambling in Alabama

Gambling expansion in Alabama has cast an especially dark cloud over this year's legislative session from the outset with the widespread expectation that the Poarch Band of Creek Indians would influence as many representatives and senators as necessary to finally hit pay dirt and broaden their empire of casino depravity this year. Caught up in the sordid web of PCI corruption are two crucial members of the Lee County delegation, state Senator Randy Price for District 13 and state Senator Jay Hovey for District 27. After a series of stops and starts over the past few months for the gambling expansion legislation during this year's session, the high stakes drama reached a shocking crescendo during the late evening hours of Tuesday, April 30th with Senate Roll Call Vote 891 on the Gambling Conference Committee proposal vote.

Price and Hovey were two of the twelve traitorous Republican Senators who joined a unanimous cohort of all eight Democrat Senators to vote in favor of approving the gambling expansion, going against the other fifteen of their Republican Senate colleagues who voted no. Twenty-one votes were required for the legislation to pass, meaning that with its defeat determined by only coming up one vote short of victory for gambling expansion to move forward, Price and Hovey were two of the yes votes that pushed Alabama to the brink of a razor thin margin that is guaranteed to cause irreparable harm to the state's future and well being. Back room dealings are certain to ensue in Montgomery during this last week of the legislative session, with pledged support for gambling expansion from Price and Hovey it is nearly a foregone conclusion that PCI will get their way in a subsequent do-over vote and move the ball across the one yard line to achieve their predetermined outcome of choice which was all paid for with blood money.

Undergoing an endless litany of revisions and compromises, the current zombified Frankenstein's monster of a Democrat party legislation has come to include increased Medicaid payouts and other special interest liberal agenda items, cementing its infamous status as the most overreaching and all encompassing gambling bill ever proposed in the history of Alabama.

Senator Randy Price (R-Opelika) - Parody

Senator Jay Hovey (R-Auburn) - Parody

Some may wonder what all exactly has made it into the bill at this late stage of the legislative session. Here are some of the lowlights of this catastrophic political disgrace;

• Establishment of electronic games of chance facilities aka casinos at dog racing tracks in the counties of Greene, Jefferson, Macon and Mobile.

• Establishment of electronic games of chance facilities aka casinos at bingo halls in the counties of Greene, Houston and Lowndes.

• Creation of a statewide lottery

• Compelling Governor Kay Ivey to enter into a compact with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians for negotiations on the implementation of the new casinos.

• Creation of the Alabama Gambling Commission to regulate gaming.

• Creation of .the Alabama Lottery Corporation for oversight purposes.

What has been missing from all of the hot air spewed from Senator Price about "cracking down on illegal gambling" and "keeping gambling money in Alabama that is spent in other states" in the runup to this legislative push is the truly nefarious nature of this bill and as always, the devil is in the details to understand the true motive of these corrupt politicians and their handlers in growing government to epic new proportions. It would serve everyone well to remember the age old mantra that the house always wins. Take a good look at the counties that these casinos are going to be located in and their demographics as well as the economics at play there.

• Greene County - Highest poverty levels in the state at 53%, blacks making up 81% of the population. Also leads the state in rates of obesity.

• Jefferson County - Highest statewide gross number of residents living in poverty at 162,381 total.

• Macon County - 34% of residents living in poverty, 78% black population.

• Mobile County - Second highest statewide gross number of residents living in poverty at 117,308 total.

• Lowndes County - Second highest poverty levels in the state at 41%, blacks making up 69% of the population.

• Houston County - Ninth highest statewide gross number of residents living in poverty at 29,628 total.

Is it all just a coincidence that these casinos will be located in counties that are highly impoverished and with large black populations? Don't bet on it.

Here are some gambling addiction statistics from the National Institute of Health;

A majority of studies focused on ethnicity investigated rates of gambling and problem gambling among Blacks, including African Americans. Results of a large nationally-representative study found that Blacks had twice the rate (2.2%) of disordered gambling compared to Whites and lower scores on general health measures; they were also more likely to be women in the lowest income brackets (Alegria et al. 2009). Similar findings have been reported regarding Black youth, who were significantly more likely than white youth to engage in heavy gambling (Barnes, et al. 2009). Overall, being young, male, and non-Hispanic Black was associated with high rates of gambling disorder in the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) data

It truly strains credulity to surmise that billions of dollars from across the state are going to magically flow into disaster zones such as Greene, Lowndes or Macon counties. What is actually going to happen is that money from poor black people is going to be extracted from these counties and deposited into the general fund of the state government in Montgomery. Poor people will lose money in these casinos, making them poorer in a truly cynical act of diabolical cruelty that is right at home among the racist history of slavery and the Ku Klux Klan. This is your state government of Alabama in 2024.

Senators Price and Hovey are intent on gambling away Alabama's future for thirty pieces of silver. If by some merciful act of God this legislation fails to pass, the best advice for Price and Hovey come next election cycle would fit their new moniker of The Gambler.

Son, I've made a life

Out of readin' people's faces

Knowin' what the cards were

By the way they held their eyes

So if you don't mind my sayin'

I can see you're out of aces

For a taste of your whiskey

I'll give you some advice

You've got to know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away

And know when to run

You never count your money

When you're sittin' at the table

There'll be time enough for countin'

When the dealin's done