Officials in two U.S. states ruled this week in longstanding cases involving gaming facilities. In Nevada, the Gaming Control Board recommended that state officials should reject the gaming application of a California businessman. In Alabama, a judge delayed a decision on whether racetrack owner Milton McGregor should have 1600 bingo machines returned to him, after the machines were seized from his bingo centers in 2013.
California businessman Vincent Michael Maltifano is planning to sell his gaming assets in Nevada after the state's Gaming Control Board recommended his application for a gaming license be rejected. Not only was his gaming application rejected, but the board recommended that Maltifano's landlord capabilities be denied. Without approval, Maltifano had no other choice but to sell his assets.
Vincent Maltifano's Legal Troubles
The Nevada Gaming Control Board cited several reasons it denied his gaming application. In the original application, Maltifano ommitted a citation in California of obstruction of a police officer. The former dentist's labor practices also were called into question, because he once faced a labor complaint by a former employee.
Also clouding the situation were a tax lien and a pair of lawsuits against Vincent Michael Maltifano. Put together, it presents an unstable situation and the Nevada Gaming Control Board feels like state regulators should steer clear of that situation. In two weeks, the Nevada Gaming Commission will meet to approve or disapprove Maltifano's license application. It is rare when the Gaming Commission does not take the advice of the Gaming Control Board.
Delta Saloon and Bonanza Saloon
The two properties Maltifano is likely to sell are the Delta Saloon and the Bonanza Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada. The Delta Saloon has a sportsbook and 103 slot machines. The Bonanza Saloon holds 39 slot machines. Though smaller gaming facilities, they represent significant interests in the Reno and Lake Tahoe area in the northern part of the state.
Vincent Michael Maltifano, who long had a cosmetic dental practice in the San Francisco Area, has had an interest in Nevada casinos for 16 years, at the least. Back in 1999, Maltifano Carson City-based Cubix Corporation tried to buy the Ormsby House, a casino which was struggling at the time.
VictoryLand in Alabama
In unrelated news, U.S. Circuit Judge Williams Shashy delayed a court decision on whether to return assets to the VictoryLand racetrack in Aalabama. Judge Shashy said he wanted to see whether the Alabama legislature would pass expanded gambling for Alabama racetracks, including VictoryLand.
In 2013, 1600 eletronic bingo machines a quarter of a million dollars were seized from two VictoryLand gaming facilities by state regulators. The bingo centers operated in Greene Couty and Houston County.
Judge Shashy Supports VictoryLand
Judge Shashy's ruling indicates that he sees the closure of VictoryLand as unfair, because similar gaming venues across the state were allowed to continue operating. An earlier ruling which went before the Alabama Supreme Court.
In that case, Shashy said, "Allowing unequal treatment places the court in an untenable position. The court cannot condone or perpetuate unequal treatment."
If Alabama State Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh has his way, then the state will legalize casino-style gambling in the state's four racetrack, including VictoryLand and Quincy's 777 Casino. Both venues are owned by Milton McGregor. The potential legislation puts Milton McGregor at the center of events in Alabama gaming, because he could stand to gain the most from the expansion of gambling in the state. The same bill would approve a state lottery, which is thought to be worth $400 million to Alabama's treasury each year.
Largest Bingo Centers in the US
At a time of the seizure of the electronic bingo machines, the VictoryLand electronic bingo parlors were the largest of their kind in the nation. Based on the strength of earlier rulings, Milton McGregor said he plans to reopen his bingo centers sometime in the near future, as soon as he finds a vendor to provide support for the facility.
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