Is Greenetrack closing for good? Answers vary, but lean toward yes

Is Greenetrack closed for good? The answer differs depending on who you talk to.

WVUA 23 News spoke with Eutaw Mayor Latasha Johnson Tuesday evening. She said Greenetrack has been closed since Jan. 24.

In an interview with the Tuscaloosa Thread on Tuesday, Greenetrack CEO Luther Winn told Tuscaloosa Thread Reporter Brittany Marshall that the bingo hall is closing its doors permanently.

WVUA 23 called Greenetrack Tuesday. An employee who answered said the bingo hall was open.

The uncertainty comes after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled last year that Greenetrack owed the state more than $75 million in unpaid taxes.

At the time, Winn said he was challenging the court’s decision.

Greenetrack is facing at least one more lawsuit in Alabama, this one over the legality of electronic bingo machines. Similar lawsuits filed against electronic bingo facilities in Macon and Lowndes counties ruled in September that the casinos are illegal gambling enterprises and could not continue operating.

Meanwhile in Macon County, Victoryland is laying off several hundred employees after it shut down its electronic bingo games in January because of the court order from September.

Victoryland representatives said they’re hoping they can replace that lost revenue with new machines allowing gamblers to bet on historical horse rases.

The casino will continue allowing wagers on horse and greyhound racing simulcasts held in other states and countries.

Alabama’s constitution prohibits lotteries and most forms of gambling, including electronic bingo.