Nearly six months after shifting away from electronic bingo, Greenetrack in Eutaw has closed its doors.
Back in July, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said that Greenetrack owed taxes on money made from it's illegal casino-style enterprise totaling more than $76 million. At that time, the CEO Luther Winn Jr. said there were no plans to layoff any employees and they were going to do what they could to keep their doors open.
It is still unclear where Greenetrack stands with that debt obligation. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were no new bankruptcy filings for the facility.
"I don't even know where Greenetrack stands at this point with the taxes they owe. No communication," said Eutaw Mayor Latasha Johnson. "Which I feel in a small town, we should have better communication than what we have."
Johnson explained there has been no communication as far as it's closure either.
"We wasn't aware, no municipality was aware, I wasn't aware, from my understanding, some of the county commissioners weren't aware that Greenetrack was closing. It was only fair we got informed that they were gonna close," said Johnson. "The school system, they really need Greenetrack, we got our hospitals, municipalities. Someone should have informed us they were closing."
People in Eutaw also said the closure came as a surprise. One employee said she is worried about her future. Another employee of 39 years said she went to part-time after retiring from there. She said she would go back if they reopened.
Henry Horton Jr. said his daughter worked there a few months ago and feels for the people who may be without work.
"That's a sad case, not knowing you're going to pay your bills and not knowing what tomorrows going to bring."
Johnson said she is praying for those employees.
"One of my bigger concerns is relocating. I don't want our citizens to have to leave our community to move to another community, but you know you have to do what you have to do to take care of your family," said Johnson.
In addition to jobs, the closure could have an impact across the entire city.
"I can't give you a number on how much Greenetrack gives to the schools or hospital, but I will say a it's going to be an impact. A lot of people rely on those funds," said Johnson.
Note: We made multiple attempts Wednesday to speak with Winn. We have not gotten a response.