Governor Bentley Places Responsibility of Anti-Gambling Laws With Locals

MONTGOMERY—Governor Robert Bentley on Thursday signed an Executive Order revoking, repealing and rescinding Executive Order 1, which he signed in 2011.  Executive Order 1 disbanded the Governor’s Task Force on Illegal Gambling and directed Alabama’s Attorney General to enforce the laws related to gambling.

Executive Order 13 states the responsibility for enforcement of Alabama’s criminal laws lies with the elected sheriffs and district attorneys of each Alabama county, and should be guided by their respective interpretation of the laws of the State of Alabama in their capacity as constitutional officers and officers of the courts.

“Executive Order 13 clarifies that local law enforcement officers should determine the legality of the Constitutional laws as those laws relate to their own counties. Recent rulings have raised concern with the unequal enforcement of Alabama’s criminal laws, including gambling laws”, said Governor Bentley. “By signing Executive Order 13, we are clarifying exactly where the responsibility for enforcing laws lies and that is with the local elected officials.”

The State of Alabama has spent in excess of an estimated 9-million dollars and expended immense resources for several years for the enforcement of Alabama’s anti-gambling laws. The Executive Order states that additional state spending on enforcing the anti-gambling laws should be limited.

Executive Order 13 places the primary duty to investigate and enforce Alabama’s anti-gambling with local law enforcement officials.

A copy of the Governor’s Executive Order can be found here.