An eventual agreement that would have made a compromise and allow the well-desired casino expansion in Florida fell apart. After spending some time working at opposite directions, the Florida Senate and House declared an impasse that unfortunately could not be resolved until the end of the week. The annual 60-day session of the local lawmakers is scheduled to end this Friday, so there is no chance for a compromise until then.
Over 2017 session, the legislature came very close to a comprehensive gambling bill that would result in further expansion of the casino landscape in the state, thanks to the permission for the games of craps and roulette that would have been given to the Seminole Tribe and the authorisation of slot machines in eight more counties across the state.
Senator Bill Galvano, who is the main sponsor of the Senate Bill, confirmed that the new attempt for gambling legislation in the state of Florida “is dead”.
The truth is that the Senate and House versions of the bill were too different, and finding the golden mean would not be an easy task. Despite the fact that Florida legislature desperately wanted to reach a new deal in order to make state’s gambling laws more clear on these matters, there were many reasons for the deal to fall apart.
The House version of the new gaming bill wanted to forbid to pari-mutuels to allow slot machines in a number of counties where the games have been given the green light from local voters. On the other hand, the Senate would give more freedom to local voters to decide the future of gambling legislation in the state.
So, unable to overcome the impasse on slot machines, the leaders of the House and the Senate put an end to the negotiations right before the end of the Florida legislature session, burying the attempt for gambling expansion in 2017. The negotiations were aimed at striking a compromise primarily on the compact agreement with the local Seminole Tribe and also resolve a number of court decisions related to gambling that affected the eventual deal with the Tribe.
If the state’s lawmakers had approved a new gaming bill as well as the wanted Seminole Tribe agreement, Florida would receive an additional revenue on a yearly basis of between $250 million and $300 million. On its turn, it would have provided the Seminole Tribe with the exclusive rights to provide their players with a variety of casino games.
At present times, what is left for the Florida House and Senate is waiting for the courts to rule on a number of gaming cases related to various issues, including a horse race track located in Gadsden County as well as allowing slot machines at the pari-mutuel. What is interesting about these cases is the fact that in case that the court chooses to favour the track, it would also allow the pari-mutuels to offer slot machines without any actions by the Florida legislature.
- Author
Daniel Williams
