A recent investigation found that Mayor of Brighton, Eddie Cooper, owns a building where one of the city’s four active bingo halls operates. Public records show he earns approximately $60,000 annually in rent from the business, which presents a clear conflict of interest. 

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is calling for the closure of Brighton’s electronic bingo operations, saying they violate state law. The city, which has relied heavily on bingo revenue, has until the end of March to comply or face legal action.

“Let’s call these what they are, because they advertise themselves as casinos. In many respects, these are illegal gambling operations, and Alabama law says they need to be shut down,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall told WBRC. 

RELATED: Alabama Attorney General seizes hundreds of illegal gambling machines across state

For years, Brighton has relied on electronic bingo halls as a primary revenue source. Public records reveal that the city collects around $70,000 annually per operation. 

With four gaming businesses still in operation, the city is bringing in nearly $280,000 a year from bingo. But that revenue stream could soon dry up as the state cracks down.

One of those bingo halls is operating in a building owned by Mayor Eddie Cooper.

Cooper, who was elected in 2018, purchased the property in 2019. Records show that he collects almost as much in a year from one as the city does per bingo hall. But the mayor insists there’s no conflict of interest.

“I’ve owned that building for years. I purchased it, worked hard to get that building, and I rented it out all these years,” Cooper told WBRC. 

When pressed on whether he bought the property with plans for bingo in mind, Cooper denied it.

“No, I bought it as a grocery store. Bingo was not running at the time.”

RELATED: Lipscomb city assets remain frozen over illegal gambling

Brighton, like several other small Alabama towns, passed local ordinances to regulate bingo. However, the Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that electronic bingo must be games of skill, not games of chance resembling slot machines.

A similar situation in nearby Lipscomb mirrors the stench in Brighton and other Alabama municipalities, where local leaders have attempted to regulate electronic bingo despite clear rulings from the Alabama Supreme Court that such operations are illegal unless they qualify as games of skill. 

But the situation in Lipscomb has escalated to an extreme: the state’s intervention has left the city unable to access basic funds, forcing officials to plead for relief.

Ultimately, Alabama AG Steve Marshall dismisses the notion that local ordinances can override state law. 

“That’s absolutely wrong,” Marshall told WBRC, “and to the extent that they’re relying upon legal advice, to that extent, then they are being misguided. 

“Look, a city couldn’t decide tomorrow that they want by local ordinance to be able to somehow legalize cocaine, for example. It doesn’t allow for a city or municipality in any way to be able to supersede a constitutional amendment of our state.”