Despite the looming threat of a constitutional amendment and a potential $300 million annual hit to state coffers, Florida lawmakers abandoned an effort to reach agreement Friday on a gambling. (2) Pursuant to section 2 of that chapter of the Congress of the United States entitled “An act to prohibit transportation of gaming devices in interstate and foreign commerce,” approved January 2, 1951, being ch. 1134, and also designated as 15 U.S.C. 1171-1177, the State of Florida, acting by and through the duly elected and qualified members of its Legislature, does hereby in this section, and in accordance with and in compliance with the provisions of section 2 of. The House gaming bill and Florida fantasy sports. A new omnibus gaming bill appeared in the House this week. That bill, however, does not include provisions relating to daily fantasy sports. That comes in the context that the Senate already has its own version of a gaming bill, which does include paid-entry fantasy sports legalization. Hope for Florida gaming bill dims. Apr 25, 2015 6:17 AM Staff & Wire Reports. A new gaming compact has been agreed upon between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe. Under the new compact the state will receive $300 million. The tribe will have exclusive rights to slot machines and table games.
Another legislative session ended last week without a deal to legalize Florida sports betting.
Despite the usual chatter about behind-the-scene negotiations on a comprehensive gambling deal that would include Florida sports betting, there was no attempt at an agreement as the session came to an end on March 13.
For most of the session, any discussions on a gambling deal occurred between legislative leaders behind closed doors. Senate President Bill Galvano indicated that lawmakers finally involved the Seminole Tribe in those discussions with 10 days left in the session.
That wasn’t enough time to get a deal done. Unless a special session is called to finalize a compact with the tribe, Florida will miss out on the approximately $330 million in annual payments the tribe made the state previously.
Florida Lottery prohibition bill fails
Last year, Sen. Wilton Simpson reached broad parameters for a deal with the Seminole. The state would pledge to shut down designated player games at pari-mutuel facilities, and the tribe would up its payment to the state to $500 million.
Gov. Ron DeSantis refused to sign off on the agreement. In response, the tribe ceased making its revenue-sharing payment to the state.
Without money coming in from the Seminole, some lawmakers thought of moving forward with sports betting in Florida without the tribe. Entering this session, Sen. Jeff Brandesintroduced legislation to legalize sports betting for the Florida Lottery.
Alabama Gaming Bill
While that sports betting bill went nowhere, S 991 to prohibit the lottery from authorizing games in which the winner is chosen on the basis of the activities or outcomes of a sporting event got a successful committee vote.
While S 991 also died at session’s end, perhaps the Seminole made their point that the lottery will be left out of Florida sports betting before they will.
Hope for Florida sports betting in special session?
Marc Dunbar, a gaming attorney who represents the Seminole but does not speak officially on behalf of the tribe, told Legal Sports Report that DeSantis needs to be the one working on a deal state to sovereign.
That has yet to happen, though the governor has expressed interest in a comprehensive gambling deal getting done.
Dunbar noted that a special session to address gambling is unlikely during an election year. However, economic impacts from coronavirus could motivate all parties to complete a deal this year.
Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood continued to operate in Florida amidst the coronavirus pandemic until Friday. The tribe announced it would close at 6 p.m. local time.
They previously implemented social distancing measures within the casino, similar to what Nevada attempted to do with its facilities prior to a required 30-day shutdown.
A Gaming Commission Would Oversee the LVS and Genting Casinos in South Florida
If a bill submitted to the Florida legislature on Monday is approved, South Florida would receive two casino licenses, while a Florida Gaming Commission would be created to administer gambling activities in the state. The bill, which would be a landmark in Florida gaming history, also would allow the state’s dog tracks to continue offering slot machine gaming, while suspending live racing at their tracks.
In effect, the state’s racetracks would become slots parlors, while the Miami are would receive two destination resorts with operating casinos. Such a development would change the landscape for Florida gaming interests, especially the Seminole Tribe, which has dominated the scene for many years.
Dana Young Filed the Gaming Bill
The legislation was filed by Rep. Dana Young, a Tampa representative who leads the House Republican caucus. The Florida legislature opens its annual session on Tuesday, March 3.
Amendment Ends Gambling Expansion
The bill includes a passage which calls for an amendment to the Florida Constitution. The amendment would prohibit any new gambling in Florida, including new forms of gambling or adding to the existing forms of gambling in the state, unless such additions were approved through statewide vote.
The amendment passage is thought to be a sop to social conservatives and anti-gambling advocates, who are concerned that the latest bill might begin a ride down a slippery slope of gambling proliferation. In other states, gambling has expanded at a steady rate, so much so that the American northeast is now said to be saturated with gambling interests.
Disney Corporation against Casinos
Social conservatives and religious groups are not the only anti-gaming interests in the state of Florida. The Disney Corporation has long been a staunch opponent of gambling in South Florida, or anywhere else in the state, for that matter. Disney argues that the state is known worldwide for family-oriented tourism and the inclusion of big brand casino resorts will damage the state’s traditional tourism brand.
Las Vegas Sands in South Floria
The two big winners in any casino gambling expansion are two rather large corporations themselves: the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and the Genting Group. The Las Vegas Sands was a second-tier Las Vegas gaming company until just over 10 years ago, when LVS founder Sheldon Adelson gambled on building a casino in the swamplands of Macau, China.
A decade later, that casino the Venetian Macau, the largest gaming resort in the world. The Sands Corporation has added the Sands Macau to its Chinese gambling empire, making LVS Corp the most lucrative casino company of the 21st century. It is a big player to receive one of the two Miami casino gaming licenses.
Resorts World Miami
Genting Limited Group is itself a massive multinational conglomerate. The Malaysian leisure and entertainment company also owns rubber plantations and offshore oil assets in Southeast Asia, and has several times been listed as one of Asia’s Top 10 corporations.
Genting is currently building a $4.2 billion resort-casino on the Las Vegas Strip, called Resorts World Las Vegas, which would be the most expensive resort ever built in Sin City. Genting also spent nearly $250 million in 2012 to buy the Miami Tribune Building. That property is expected to be the site of Resorts World Miami, if Dana Young’s gaming bill passes the legislature and is signed into law by Governor Rick Scott.
Seminole Casinos Not Mentioned
Nowhere in the 332-page bill is the Seminole Tribe mentioned. The Seminoles currently have a contract which gives them an exclusive right to offer blackjack to gamblers in Florida. That right is carried out at the Tampa Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, as well as other tribal gaming enclaves around the state.
The Seminole Compact is currently up for negotiation, because the current 5-year deal is set to end on July 31. The absence of the Seminoles in the legislation could be seen as a negotiating ploy, to get the tribe to back down from its traditional monopoly and sign on to the plan to allow gaming interests into the state, in exchange for protection for its own traditional gaming interests in the state. Essentially, such a plan would yield South Florida to the national and international gaming companies, while allowing the Seminoles to control Tampa and other select locations around the state.
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