Well, it's no surprise to us that the NIGC told Gov. Bob Riley that he couldn't shut down "illegal" electronic bingo machines operated by the Poarch Creek Indian Tribe.  According to the NIGC, the machines are Class II, and bingo is legal in Alabama.  Riley has been targeting electronic bingo in the state, and wanted to include tribal bingo in his sights.  But his crackdown on electronic bingo can't extend to the Tribe's bingo machines, which are governed by IGRA rather than Alabama law.

State officials in Alabama are working to shut down "illegal" gaming in the state.  Why the quotes?  Because they're also targeting tribal casinos operating Class II electronic bingo machines, which the state charges are illegal slot machines.  Governor Bob Riley formed the high-profile and troubled Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling in 2008.  Just last month, the Task Force's "commander," David Barber, resigned from his post after he got lucky in the Mississippi Choctaw's tribal casino, winning $2300.  Barber's outing as a gambler once again brought to the fore charges that Riley himself has accepted political donations from Mississippi tribes with casinos, a charge the governor denies.  After Barber's resignation, Riley appointed long-time Mobile dist