In 2019, a bill was proposed that would have legalized sports gambling at the state's two horse-racing tracks, its 21 tribal casinos and potentially through mobile devices. Meanwhile, House Republican Leader Dana Young of Tampa released a revamped gaming bill, HB 1233, that shrinks her ambitious 316-page gaming bill to 59 pages and removes all opportunities for. Hope for Florida gaming bill dims. Apr 25, 2015 6:17 AM Staff & Wire Reports. The Senate gambling bill would also allow the Seminole Tribe to offer craps and roulette at its casinos and it would allow South Florida tracks to add blackjack. It also would create a pathway for.
On Monday, February 24th the Florida Senate Gaming Committee released their anticipated gaming reform bill.
After hiring a consulting firm to review Florida's gaming industry last year and taking feedback from the public, the Senate Gaming Committee put together a bill that attempts to reform and update Florida's gaming industry.
The reform bill
At over 450 pages, Senate Proposed Bill 7052 aims at making comprehensive changes to Florida's gaming landscape.
Some of the potential changes included in the bill are:
The creation of a gaming control board;
Increased authority, control, and enforcement over gaming by the regulatory agency; Happy christmas tree.
Authorizing the governor to renegotiate the gaming compact with the Seminoles;
Consolidating all forms of gaming other than the lottery into a single statutory chapter;
Authorizing the possibility of 2 destination casinos in Miami-Dade and Broward County; and
Reduced requirements for operating a poker room.
Online poker is not included in the bill
The Senate Gaming Committee did not specifically include anything about online poker in the bill. There were, however, several changes to criminal laws related to online wagering.
Language was added to existing criminal gambling sections to expressly prohibit the operation of an online wagering business and to prohibit the electronic transmission of information for gambling purposes.
This language was likely included to prohibit other forms of online wagering, like Advance Deposit Wagering, but could also be applied to online poker.
So you're telling me there's a chance?
Although SPB 7052 ignores online poker it may not be the last chance at gaming reform this year. There are a few ways that online poker may still happen.
The bill is still in a very early stage and is, as the name implies, a proposed bill. The Gaming Committee will meet again to discuss the bill and likely amend it before formally presenting the bill to committee or to the rest of the legislature.
Smart live gaming casino. It also may be possible that a separate online poker bill is introduced.
There have been several online poker bills introduced in the last few years and it's possible another online poker bill gets introduced this year.
Several of the senators on the Gaming Committee discussed online poker during the public hearings and were responsible for past attempts at legalized online poker.
Huge bills, like SPB 7052, are very difficult to pass because of their broad scope. It may be more likely that a smaller, more specific bill, like an online poker bill, would have a better chance at passage.
With the legislative session beginning next week and going until May there is still a lot of time for things to happen.
Regulated online poker, although unlikely, may still be up for legalization this year.
A bill that attempts to lock Florida's gaming footprint in place for 20 years and freeze any casino expansion passed a key House committee along a party line vote Tuesday. This leaves the Legislature miles apart over how to resolve the lucrative gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe.
The House bill, HB 7037, authorises Governor Rick Scott to renew the existing compact with the tribe, which runs two Hard Rock Casinos in Hollywood and Tampa and four other casinos in Florida. But instead of leaving the revenue sharing where it is, the House increases the minimum guarantee from about $250m a year to at least $325m in exchange for exclusive operation of blackjack in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and slot machines at its casinos outside of South Florida.
For the first time, the House also directs the Legislature to put the money into three specific education programs aimed at retaining and recruiting teachers, helping children in failing schools and enhancing higher education.
Republican Michael LaRosa, chair of the Tourism & Gaming Control Subcommittee that sponsored the bill said the House's 'status quo' proposal also closes loopholes that have allowed player-banked card games to be run in poker rooms, reduces dormant parimutuel permits and repeals old provisions that could be used for unintended gaming expansion in the future. 'The bill provides much needed certainty and predictability for years to come,' he said.
Florida Gaming Bill
Less uncertain is the bill's fate. It passed on a 11-7 vote, with Democrats opposed, but there is no sign that the House and Senate are close to a compromise.
The related Senate bill, SB 8, goes beyond the status quo to dramatically expand gaming in Florida by giving Miami-Dade and Broward counties each an additional slot casino, allowing the Seminole Tribe to operate seven full-scale casinos, and giving horse and dog tracks in at least eight counties new slot parlors.
Florida Gambling Bill News
The tribe has indicated that neither the House nor Senate gaming bills is enough to justify its paying the state more in revenue sharing.
Michigan Gaming Bill
