Milton McGregor -- the Alabama gambling magnate who owned the Birmingham Race Course and VictoryLand casino -- has died, according to his public relations firm.

"Milton E. McGregor, 78, Montgomery entrepreneur and developer of VictoryLand and the Birmingham Race Course, died peacefully at his home Sunday, March 25, 2018," read the statement from Direct Communications.

"Mr. McGregor is survived by his wife of 50 years, Patricia Turner McGregor, daughter Kim McGregor and husband Dan Hix, daughter Cindy and husband Lewis Benefield and seven grandchildren. Further details of funeral arrangements will be announced."

McGregor's family and attorneys were not immediately available to confirm initial reports of his death that surfaced on social media Sunday morning.

Milton McGregor passed away at his home in Montgomery last night around 11:30. He was beloved by a lot of Alabamians, including me. I’ll miss my friend. #alpolitics — Steve Flowers (@SteveFlowersAL) March 25, 2018

According to his web site, McGregor was born in Hartford, Ala. in Geneva County in 1939. His education at Troy State University and Auburn business schools was interrupted by two stints in the military, and for a time his web site said he worked as an engineer for Boeing in Huntsville.

In 1981, McGregor left a job at Fort Rucker to enter the video gaming business full-time, opening a string of Happy Tymes video arcades in Enterprise, Dothan and Ozark and placed video machines in businesses throughout south Alabama and northwest Florida.

McGregor opened a greyhound dog racing track in Macon County in 1983, which eventually became VictoryLand, and purchased the Birmingham Race Course in 1992, adapting it to accommodate both horse racing and greyhound racing.

He was a controversial figure. McGregor was acquitted in 2012 on charges that he had illegally bribed state lawmakers to influence gambling legislation, and he frequently clashed with state authorities on whether his electronic bingo machines were legal.

The VictoryLand casino in Shorter, Ala. was shut down for more than three years after state law enforcement agencies raided the casino and seized electronic gambling machines in 2013.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.