McGregor’s family continues effort to expand gambling

McGregor’s family continues effort to expand gambling

The general manager of the Birmingham Race Course says the family of long-time gambling advocate Milton McGregor intends to continue operating the dog tracks he owned.

Alabama Media Group reported that Joe O’Neill, the general manager of Birmingham Race Course, said the McGregor family’s plans were relayed to him by McGregor’s son-in-law and chief operations officer of the track, Lewis Benefield.

“The family sat down after the funeral and got their situation together and decided to continue the operation in the same form that he envisioned,” O’Neill told the Birmingham Racing Commission. “The family’s wishes are to continue doing what he envisioned, and that’s finding other forms of gaming to bring to the facility.”

McGregor died March 25, 2018. His efforts to expand his dog racing operations into electronic bingo casinos led to several Alabama State Supreme Court rulings declaring the machines illegal slot machines under Alabama law.

O’Neill called McGregor the “political right arm of the company” but said the operations of the business had continued as usual after his death. (TAB)