By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – Governor Bob Riley and Attorney General Troy King have asked the legislature to ban electronic bingo machines and new sweepstakes games currently being used at the Birmingham dog track. Riley and King are pushing a constitutional amendment to prohibit games where the outcome is determined by chance. It would also ban electronic bingo machines currently found at dog tracks in Macon and Greene counties and at the bingo hall in Lowndes County. The governor says the amendment would still allow traditional paper bingo. King and Riley also have a proposal to increase the financial penalties for illegal gambling. The attorney general says the current penalties are so low they don't act as an adequate deterrent.