The Prichard City Council approved an ordinance allowing electronic bingo in September 2009, opening a debate over potential city revenue, pension pressures and the measure’s legality.
The council approved the ordinance by a 3-2 vote. Supporters said electronic bingo could bring jobs, revenue and more stability to the city’s property-tax base at a time when Prichard faced serious financial challenges.
Arguments over revenue and retirement funding
Mayor Ron Davis said the city needed new economic activity and that electronic bingo could be part of the answer. Retired city employees, who had been concerned about the pension fund, followed the discussion closely.
The ordinance directed potential bingo revenue to the city’s general needs rather than specifically to the pension fund. Davis said he did not recommend dedicating it to a single purpose, while other speakers argued that new business investment would be more beneficial to the community than gambling.
Legal questions remained
Council member Troy Ephriam said the ordinance was legally contentious and could be challenged. Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson said the use of electronic bingo machines in places such as Prichard violated state law and stated that his office would act if the machines were introduced.
The next procedural step was to appoint a bingo commission. The debate reflected a broader Alabama dispute over electronic bingo, local authority and the limits of gambling-related revenue strategies.
This article records the ordinance vote and the competing views expressed in September 2009. It does not state whether electronic bingo operations ultimately opened in Prichard or how later legal challenges were resolved.