1. Shorter Casino Reopening

VictoryLand is a greyhound track, casino, and hotel in Shorter, Alabama.

• 1Facilities

Facilities[edit]

Greyhound racing track[edit]

VictoryLand is a greyhound track, casino, and hotel in Shorter, Alabama. This channel was generated automatically by YouTube's video discovery system. SHORTER, Alabama - VictoryLand opened its doors today to an eager crowd and smiling local officials who welcomed the reopening of what was once the state's largest bingo casino.Hundreds waited in.

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.^[1]

Quincy's 777 casino[edit]

VictoryLand is home to Quincy's 777, a casino, and used to be home to over 7,000 different slot machines.^[2] Before its closure, Quincy's 777 was the largest electronic bingo casino in the state.^[3]

Oasis Hotel[edit]

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'.^[4]

History[edit]

On August 12, 2010, VictoryLand closed its casino, restaurant and hotel operations. The restaurant and hotel remain closed as of 2019.

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.^[5][6][7] He was acquitted on all counts in March 2012.^[8] 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.^[9]

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.^[10]

VictoryLand reopened September 14, 2016 with 502 gaming machines on the casino floor.^[11]

References[edit]

1. ^'VictoryLand'. www.victoryland.com. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
2. ^List of Quincy's 777 gamesArchived August 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
3. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. ^[1]
5. ^[2]
6. ^[3]
7. ^[4]
8. ^Chandler, Kim (March 8, 2012). 'Milton McGregor, 5 others acquitted in Alabama gambling trial'. Birmingham News. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
9. ^Chandler, Kim (December 18, 2012). 'VictoryLand open for business again'. Birmingham News. Retrieved 2012-12-19.
10. ^Horton, Jennifer (25 June 2015). 'Appeal filed after forfeiture case against Victoryland dismissed'. WSFA.
11. ^Moon, Josh (September 14, 2016). ''Victoryland reopens to large crowd''. Montgomery Advertiser.

External links[edit]

Owners of the shuttered VictoryLand casino in Shorter, Alabama told media that the venue, which once featured a greyhound track, casino, and hotel, will soon be reopened. When operational, the property was known to be among the largest taxpayers and employers in Macon County.

VictoryLand was shuttered in 2010 for allegedly featuring illegal electronic bingo games. After a brief reopening in 2013, the casino was once again closed. Generally speaking, it has not been operational for the past five years. However, after Judge William Shashy from the Montgomery County Circuit Court ruled in favor of VictoryLand not just once but twice, the casino is expected to commence operations anytime soon.

Local media reported that Shorter Mayor Willie Mae Powell and other officials welcomed the news for the casino’s revival, as VictoryLand is expected to bring about the much-needed economic boost to the struggling Macon County. Back in 2010, when the gambling venue was closed, the county lost millions of dollars in tax revenue and saw 2,300 people remain unemployed.

Following the news about VictoryLand’s reopening, Milton McGregor, owner of the gambling venue, revealed that nearly 4,000 job applications have been submitted. He further noted that once fully operational, the casino would employ up to 2,000 people from the region.

Mr. McGregor also pointed out that prior to its closure in 2010, VictoryLand was the biggest taxpayer in the county, contributing millions of dollars to the local Education Trust Fund and the General Fund.

According to the figures released by Macon County, the casino has paid more than $300 million in taxes since it first opened doors. Of those, $6.3 million were paid to the city, county, and state coffers in sales taxes. Ad valorem taxes of more than $6.5 million and pari-mutuel taxes of $44.9 million went to the General Fund.

Mr. McGregor said that he and his colleagues are determined to bring VictoryLand to its former glory, promising that the venue would be even “bigger and better” this time. He noted that he would announce an official date for the casino’s reopening within a fortnight. VictoryLand’s relaunch is expected to revive a region with high unemployment rates and to give it the much-needed economic boost, officials for Macon County told media.

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VictoryLand Casino Owner Sets September 6 Reopening Date

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Alabama Circuit Court Rules in Favor of Shuttered VictoryLand Casino