Dothan, AL – A big crowd is on hand for the reopening of the former Country Crossing bingo center near Dothan.
The long-closed gaming development reopened Friday as Center Stage Alabama. It has hundreds of electronic bingo machines resembling ordinary household computer monitors.
Private security officers are on the property, but there's not a large number of police present.
The attorney general's office says it's watching to make sure the attraction doesn't have illegal slot machines. Authorities say only traditional bingo games will be allowed, and the money must go to charity.
The former frontman of Country Crossing, Ronnie Gilley, has pleaded guilty to charges of trying to buy votes for gambling legislation in Montgomery. He's now a prosecution witness in the trial of nine people charged in a vote-buying conspiracy.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)