MONTGOMERY—Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Jefferson County District Attorney Pro Tem Danny Carr recently announced a court ruling against a Birmingham gambling facility. The prosecutors stated that, once again, the courts of Alabama have upheld the prohibitions of gambling and slot machines in this state.
The ruling by the Jefferson County Circuit Court was against Bid City and its machines. Bid City offered computer systems with software from Blue Streak Bids, LLC, doing business as Redibids, that included illegal sweepstakes games in conjunction with online auctions.
After hearing evidence in a bench trial, on August 14 the Court found that the machines operated as slot machines under Alabama law. The Court condemned and forfeited the machines to the State of Alabama, and the associated seized currency was forfeited to go to the General Fund, as required by law.
As a result of this case, Attorney General Marshall also announced that he has issued a cease and desist letter to Blue Streak Bids, LLC, parent company and operator of Redibids.com. The company’s website offers the same illegal games that were found by the Circuit Court to be illegal gambling. An investigation of the site by the Attorney General’s office determined that the website is accessible to any citizen in this state and offers illegal gambling the same as that which was prosecuted in Jefferson County. Blue Streak Bids, LLC has until September 1, 2017, to cease offering illegal gambling on their website in the State of Alabama.
“It is my duty as Attorney General to uphold Alabama law and protect those who may otherwise unwittingly fall prey to this type of illegal activity,” said Attorney General Marshall. “I was pleased to work side-by-side with District Attorney Danny Carr and Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale to ensure that those who willingly seek to take advantage of Alabamians and break our laws are held to account.”
Jefferson County District Attorney Pro Tem Carr stated, “The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office is determined to protect our citizens from all forms of financial exploitation. Bid City profited by targeting our communities, and misrepresenting their slot-style machines as legal sweepstakes. My office is bound to uphold the law of the State of Alabama, and is dedicated to dismantling all illegal enterprises operating within our jurisdiction. I thank the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for its tireless investigative work, and the Attorney General’s Office for its assistance in this case.”
Attorney General Marshall commended the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in the prosecution of this case, noting especially the work of Deputy District Attorney Rob Drake, and thanked Assistant Attorney General John Kachelman for his assistance in the trial of this matter.
