Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall told Alabama Public Television recently that he was not going on a “crusade” against illegal gambling.

Tuesday, he went on WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show” and clarified those remarks, explaining that just because he said he is not on a crusade doesn’t mean he isn’t focused on attacking what he believes to be illegal gambling.

He added that he does view the gambling taking place in Macon, Greene, and Lowndes counties as illegal, but he didn’t view the issues there as immediate nor as cut-and-dry as Jefferson County’s recent foray into electronic bingo, which the attorney general agreed were actually “slot machines with extra steps.”

When asked if the newness of the gambling of in Jefferson County made it easier to police, Marshall said he believes it also sent the message that new operators would not be tolerated as they have in some parts of the state.

“There was clearly an immediacy to what we needed to do in Jefferson County because local officials weren’t acting, and we did that,” Marshall added.

But what about the exiting gambling sites like Victoryland and Greenetrack? Marshall said his enforcement attempts are not over, even though he is not going on a crusade.

He continued, saying there is litigation pending that his team decided was the best strategy for ultimately shutting down facilities in five other counties.

“We’ve been successful in two of those,” he advised. “Look forward to hearings in Greene, Macon and Lowndes soon.”

The strategy is one that the attorney general believes will result in court rulings that will pave the way to end this electronic bingo farce once and for all.

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Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN