All Decatur really needs to revitalize its economy is to embrace its past and establish a legal riverboat gambling facility on the Tennessee River.

Of course, gambling is a no-no in the state. But just what constitutes gambling is a question that has many scratching their heads.

Gov. Bob Riley and state Attorney General Troy King — both Republicans and both professed gambling opponents — disagree about the fine line separating legal charity electronic bingo games from illegal games of chance. So-called bingo machines throughout the state so closely resemble casino slot machines that only the most technically savvy can tell the difference. Gov. Riley believes many of the machines currently operating are illegal. Mr. King believes loopholes in the law permit their legal operation.

Gov. Riley appointed a task force this week to study charity bingo machines, identify sites that may be operating illegally and advise local prosecutors on how to shut them down. The governor bypassed Mr. King, the state’s top law enforcement officer, when appointing the three-member task force.

Instead of utilizing resources to further define the already-invisible line between legal and illegal gambling, the state would be better served investigating ways the revenues from these sources could benefit the people of Alabama.

Obviously there is a market for the machines.

By embracing legalized gambling rather than demonizing and demagoguing it, elected officials can regulate its use while generating needed revenues for the state and cities as well as for charities.