It seems that Florida voters will be able to make decisions about the future of casino-style gambling in the state. The proposed constitutional amendment that is aimed at preventing local legislators from legalising such casino-style gambling, including slot machines, is set to appear on the November ballot of the state as Amendment 3.
More than 1.1 million Florida residents signed petitions which called to vote on the proposed amendment. As revealed by data published on the website of the Florida Division of Elections, a total of 817,766 signatures have already been verified. The congressional districts across the state providing enough signatures in order to meet requirements for the ballot to be placed. In order for the placement to be approved, a total of 766,200 signatures were needed.
As previously reported by Casino Guardian, the “Voter Control of Gambling Amendment” was supported by the local Seminole Tribe, as well as by the Disney Worldwide Services. Now, thanks to the amendment, state politicians would not be able to legalise casino gambling forms unless they get local voters’ approval.
Now, the group behind Amendment 3, Voters in Charge, announced that the proposed change gained enough petition signatures in order to qualify for the November ballot.
The announcement appeared on the same day when a local Senate committee gave the nod to an important piece of gambling legislation that would see a reduction in the taxes imposed on slot machine revenue. The gambling bill called SB840 got the approval of the Senate Regulated Industries committee and could be the last chance of local legislators to implement more serious changes to Florida gambling legislation if the amendment is greenlighted by local voters.
The piece of legislation would also possibly put an end to greyhound racing in Florida, bring more clarity to the matters related to the legality of some types of card games. It would also keep daily fantasy sports unregulated in the state for the time being.
Existing Operators Back the Amendment
Last year, the Florida Supreme Court approved the ballot placement amendment, which the Voters and Charge Committee had required. The Court also approved the ballot language. As the proposed change was a constitutional one, it required at least 60% of state voters to support the amendment.
As mentioned above, Voters in Charge had received the support of Disney Worldwide Services which has long been opposing to gambling legislation in the state. As a matter of fact, the Disney company was the largest financial supporter to the group, followed by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The backers of the Voters in Charge amendment proposal may seem like a strange gathering, but the truth is that existing operators in the state were worried by increased competition in case that politicians are given the chance to make all decisions related to the state’s gambling industry.
Now, the limits that could be put on adding new gambling operations in the state would mean loss competition for the operators that have already been present in Florida.
- Author
Daniel Williams
