Victoryland
{{Short description|Casino and hotel in Alabama}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2009}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox Casino|
|casino=VictoryLand
|theme=Where you can be a Winner Too!
|address=8680 County Road 40
|location= Shorter, Alabama
|image=Overview_of_Victoryland.jpg
|logo=
|rooms=300 (closed)
|date_opened= 1983
|space_gaming=
|attractions=
|shows=
|notable_restaurants= Oasis Buffet (closed)
|owner=Milton McGregor
|casino_type=Land-Based
|renovations=2009
|names_pre=
|website={{URL|victoryland.com}}
}}
VictoryLand is a casino and hotel in Shorter, Alabama.
Facilities
=Greyhound racing track=
The 1,230-foot greyhound racing track operated for 27 years but live racing came to an end in 2011. Victoryland still offers simulcasts and wagering for both greyhound and thoroughbred races elsewhere.{{Cite web|url=http://www.victoryland.com/data/simulcastcalendars.htm|title=VictoryLand|website=www.victoryland.com|access-date=2016-10-14}}
=Quincy's 777 casino=
VictoryLand is home to Quincy's 777, a casino, and currently has around 7,000 different slot machines.[http://www.quincys777.com/games/games.htm List of Quincy's 777 games] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825035611/http://www.quincys777.com/games/games.htm |date=August 25, 2009 }} Before its closure, Quincy's 777 was the largest electronic bingo casino in the state.{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9I3OKFG1.htm |title=Judge lifts order protecting VictoryLand - BusinessWeek |accessdate=October 4, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025115637/http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9I3OKFG1.htm |archivedate=October 25, 2012 }}
=Oasis Hotel=
The Oasis Hotel, was a 300-room hotel which was built on the VictoryLand property, and opened on November 1, 2009. It was closed on August 12, 2010 and has not reopened since that time. The hotel had a fine-dining restaurant called Whitfield's Steakhouse, O's Lobby Bar, and the O Brew cafe'.{{cite web| url = http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2009_3rd/Aug09_OasisHotel.html| title = Oasis Hotel at Victoryland, Near Montgomery, Alabama to Open November 1, 2009; Rusti Price Named General Manager / August 2009}}
History
On August 12, 2010, VictoryLand closed its casino, restaurant and hotel operations. Victoryland casino's restaurant is operational, but hotel operations remain closed until further notice. The casino is fully operational along with the restaurant as of 2022.
On October 4, 2010, VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor was arrested along with 10 state senators and lobbyists after a federal probe relating to the improprieties of state gambling legislation. McGregor was charged with one count of conspiracy, 6 counts of bribery and 11 counts of honest services fraud.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/us/05alabama.html|title = 11 Arrests in Alabama Bingo Investigation|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 4 October 2010|last1 = Robertson|first1 = Campbell}}{{cite web |url=http://www2.oanow.com/news/2010/oct/04/victoryland-owner-mcgregor-others-reportedly-arres-ar-916435/ |title=VictoryLand owner McGregor, others, reportedly arrested | oanow.com |website=www2.oanow.com |access-date=3 February 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20111008062143/http://www2.oanow.com/news/2010/oct/04/victoryland-owner-mcgregor-others-reportedly-arres-ar-916435/ |archive-date=8 October 2011 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web| url=http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20101004/APN/1010041712 | title=Unknown}}{{dead link| date=December 2023| fix-attempted=yes}} He was acquitted on all counts in March 2012.{{cite news|title=Milton McGregor, 5 others acquitted in Alabama gambling trial|newspaper=Birmingham News|first=Kim|last=Chandler|date=March 8, 2012|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/03/milton_mcgregor_5_others_acqui.html|accessdate=2012-12-19}} The casino floor was reopened in December 2012, over the objection of Attorney General Luther Strange, who argued that VictoryLand's electronic bingo machines were illegal slot machines.{{cite news|title=VictoryLand open for business again|newspaper=Birmingham News|first=Kim|last=Chandler|date=December 18, 2012|url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/12/live_updates_victoryland_reope.html|accessdate=2012-12-19}}
On June 25, 2015, Judge William Shashy dismissed the civil forfeiture case against Victoryland brought after the Attorney General Luther Strange's office executed a search warrant in 2013 seizing $263,106 in cash and 1,615 gaming machines. Judge Shashy said "The state could not and did not offer any substantive reason why it permitted this state of affairs to continue at other facilities, while taking its present stance against the same operations at Victoryland…The propriety of the State of Alabama electing to currently pursue action against only one facility is of great concern. It is apparent at the present time that the State of Alabama is cherrypicking which facilities should remain open or closed. This Court refuses to be used an instrument to perpetuate unfair treatment," This gave Victoryland the right to re-open with full operations able to resume.{{cite news|url=http://www.wsfa.com/story/29407729/judge-dismisses-states-forfeiture-case-against-victoryland|date=25 June 2015|first=Jennifer|last=Horton|title=Appeal filed after forfeiture case against Victoryland dismissed|publisher=WSFA}}
VictoryLand reopened September 14, 2016 with 502 electronic bingo gaming machines on the casino floor.{{cite news|url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/local/alabama/2016/09/13/victoryland-reopens-large-crowd/90280542/|publisher=Montgomery Advertiser|first=Josh|last=Moon|date=September 14, 2016|title="Victoryland reopens to large crowd"}}
In September 2022, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case of [https://acis.alabama.gov/displaydocs.cfm?no=1127077&event=6FW0JEK0T State of Alabama vs Epic Tech LLC] in which the court concluded that the electronic bingo gaming at Victoryland and two other casinos in the state constituted illegal gambling enterprises [https://www.alabamaag.gov/attorney-general-steve-marshall-announces-major-victory-over-illegal-casino-gambling-enterprises-in-lowndes-and-macon-counties/]. The court granted the State of Alabama’s request to prohibit the casinos from continuing to offer so-called “electronic bingo” – a misnomer used by the casinos to mean “video-slot-machine gambling” – at their respective facilities. In early 2023, Victoryland replaced all of its electronic bingo machines with historical horse racing machines which were interpreted as being legal under existing Alabama law.[https://www.alreporter.com/2023/06/15/no-electronic-bingo-no-problem-for-victoryland/]
References
{{reflist|35em}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.victoryland.com/|VictoryLand}}