The former chief of staff for the National Indian Gaming Commission testified in a non-Indian bingo case in Alabama on Thursday. Joseph Valandra said the machines at a gaming center in White Hall are electronic forms of bingo. They might look like slot machines but he said the similarity ends there. "They are not slot machines," said Valandra, the Associated Press reported. Valandra worked at the commission when it sought to limit tribes from operating games that look like slot machines. Gov. Bob Riley (R), who has refused to negotiate with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, created a task force that raided the gaming center. Prosecutors say the machines are illegal in Alabama. Get the Story:
Judge to rule fast in Ala. gaming hall request (AP 3/26)