Pelham reviews more business licenses after illegal bingo

By MACKENZEE SIMMS | Staff Writer

PELHAM– The Pelham City Council voted unanimously to allow two businesses, The Beer Hog and Blue’s Bourbon and Brews, to stay open after both were hosting illegal bingo games at a council meeting on Monday, Nov. 4.

This decision comes two weeks after public hearings for two other businesses, Lil Bits Tavern and Pub 261, on Oct. 21. Similarly, those two businesses also did not have their business licenses revoked despite being caught hosting illegal bingo games.

Pelham city attorney Josh Arnold shared that during yearly business license reviews Pelham became aware that several local businesses were hosting games of bingo which are illegal throughout most of Alabama.

“Bingo, under Alabama law, is considered a lottery if there’s cash buy in and prize associated with that, and it’s not allowed in Shelby County,” Arnold said. “It’s not allowed throughout the state of Alabama, unless you have a specific constitutional amendment that allows you to have bingo.”

Currently, there are 18 counties in Alabama and three cities that have constitutional amendments to allow bingo, but Shelby County is not one, nor is Pelham.

According to Arnold, the city contacted the businesses and notified them that they were in violation of state law and all businesses involved immediately ceased all bingo operations.

“With regard to Beer Hog and, frankly, with Blue’s Bourbon and Brews LLC—as well as with all of the other business operators—once they were contacted by the city and we informed them that this was a problem, they immediately called and did everything they could to rectify the situation,” Arnold said.

The owners of both of the businesses, including Blue’s Bourbon and Brews owner Steve Pennington, addressed the Pelham City Council to confirm that they halted all bingo games.

“As soon as we were made aware there was an issue, we ceased having games and don’t intend on having them,” Pennington said.

After the public hearings, the Pelham City Council followed the precedent of Lil Bits Tavern and Pub 261 and voted unanimously to not revoke the business licenses of Beer Hog and Blue’s Bourbon and Brews.

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