Casinos and gambling are on the minds of people across Alabama as lawmakers prepare for the 2026 legislative session.
Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon told Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show" that he has spoken with people in Biloxi who warn against bringing casinos to town.
"I don't think you're going to hell because you play the slot machines or play poker," Kennon said. "I'm not looking at it from a moral perspective, but I do know casinos kill communities, and my concern is you can open up the gambling Pandora's box where the casinos are going to end up."
While Baldwin County is a destination for many, Kennon said the reward is not worth the cost.
"My biggest concern is once you open that Pandora's box, casinos are going to start popping up everywhere, and I don't care what anybody says, prostitution, domestic violence, predators, I mean, the list goes on and is well documented," he said. "This is research-based. They kill communities. I spent a good bit of time in Biloxi and Gulfport during the oil spill, and in talking to the matriarchs and patriarchs of those two cities, they all, to a man, to a woman, said they wish they had never opened the door to the casinos because it ruined their communities."
Kennon said while some lawmakers have promised casinos will never come to Baldwin County, the only way to ensure that is to vote "no" on legislation coming down the pike. He said he will not support any legislators who accept money from casino operators, including the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and groups from Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
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