In this Dec. 18, 2012 file photo, owner Milton McGregor stands in the lobby during the reopening of VictoryLand Casino in Alabama
Alabama gambling magnate Milton McGregor, who waged a legal war to keep his electronic bingo casino open and thwarted federal attempts to prosecute him, died Sunday. He was 78.
Public relations firm Direct Communications said McGregor died peacefully in his home in Montgomery.
An affable and charming fixture of the state’s business and political worlds, he advertised his casino with the slogan, which he drawled in Southern baritone, “Come join us… you can be a winner too.”
5400 Bradenton Rd. Sarasota, FL 34234 MAP. 941-355-7744 ext 1054. Mon and Tues: 10am- 12am. Wednesday: 10am-2am. Thursday: 10am-12am. Fri-Sat 10am- 4am. Sunday Noon - Midnight.
His business interests included banking and nursing homes, but he was best known for developing a dog track-turned-casino in the Bible Belt state. The operation at one point boasted 6,400 electronic gambling machines, more than many Las Vegas casinos.
Raised the son of a widow who ran a small town grocery, McGregor began finding success in the 1980s at the start of the video game craze, with an arcade and a business leasing the games. He opened VictoryLand dog track casino in Macon County in 1984 and later acquired a defunct horse track in Birmingham for dog racing. He then bet big on electronic bingo.
Alabama law allows bingo in some locations, including Macon County. McGregor invested millions of dollars in a VictoryLand expansion, filling it with machines that played lightning quick games of bingo electronically, but on the outside replicated the experience of playing a slot machine with whirling displays and chimes.
Fox 6 Birmingham Dog Track Slot Machines
He added a swanky 300-room adjacent hotel and restaurants in an attempt to compete with neighboring Mississippi casinos. Macon County politicians praised McGregor for bringing jobs to the economically depressed county.
But not everyone in the conservative state was pleased by his efforts.
The state launched a still ongoing effort to close the casino, saying the slot machine-like games were illegal and not what was intended by the state laws allowing bingo.
McGregor came out on the winning side of a high-profile government corruption case in 2012. Federal prosecutors in 2010 indicted McGregor, another casino developer, lobbyists and politicians on charges that they orchestrated a scheme to buy votes at the Alabama State House for gambling legislation. Prosecutors said McGregor was trying to ensure the continued operation of the casino that they said profited USD40 million in a single year.
A first trial ended with a hung jury.A second jury acquitted McGregor of all charges, and McGregor reopened the casino.
“Now I’m focused on getting 3,000 people back to work and charities and governmental agencies receiving revenue, as they should have been all the time,” McGregor told The Associated Press after his acquittal.
McGregor is survived by his wife, two daughters and seven grandchildren. AP
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Ultimate Texas Hold’em features heads-up play against the designated player and an optional trips bet. This game gives you several advantages:
- The earlier you bet, the more you can bet.
- You don’t have to fold until you see all the community cards.
- The Trips bonus pays odds if your final five-card hand is a three-of-a-kind or better and you beat the designated player’s hand. If your final five-card hand ties the designated player’s hand, the trips wager is a push.
Getting Started
Make equal bets in the ante and blind circles. You may also make the optional Trips bonus bet. You will then receive two cards.
Bet Big or Small, or Not At All
When you get your two hole cards, you can either check or bet 3x-4x your ante. The dealer then reveals the three-card flop. If you haven’t already made a play bet, you have a choice: check or bet 2x your ante. The dealer then reveals the final two community cards. If you haven’t already made a play bet, you have a choice: fold or bet 1x your ante. If you fold… your ante, blind, and optional trips bets lose.
Winning & Losing
The dealer then reveals the designated player’s two-hole cards. If your hand beats theirs, your play and ante bets win even money. If the designated player’s hand beats yours… your play, ante, and blind wagers lose. If you tie, those bets push. The blind pays if your winning hand is at least a straight. If you beat the designated player with less than a straight, it pushes.
Designated Player Qualifying
The designated player needs a pair to qualify. If they don’t qualify, the dealer will return your ante. All other bets receive action.