Two separate gambling bills were heard and voted in the Florida Legislature on Friday, one in the House and the other in the Senate, as this year’s legislative session is drawing to a close.
The two chambers of the state’s legislative body have traditionally differed on their approach to gambling lawmaking. However, lawmakers are pressed to finally agree on and adopt certain amendments after years of unsuccessful attempts, as this year could be the last one when any gambling-related decisions are made without voters’ approval.
Last fall, campaigners gathered enough signatures last fall to put a voter control on gambling constitutional amendment on the upcoming November ballot. If approved, the amendment would make it impossible for lawmakers to introduce any changes to the state’s gambling regulations without these being voted in the affirmative by Florida residents.
The Senate Appropriations Committee cleared SB 840 to the full Senate floor on Friday, while the House advanced HB 7067 into a third reading. The Florida session ends next Friday, which means that lawmakers are pressed for time to make what could be their final gambling-related decisions.
The incoming Senate President Bill Galvano told local media earlier this week that he hoped the two pieces of legislation could be brought into conference by Wednesday. However, there have been lawmakers to express doubts about the chances that a comprehensive gambling legislation would be passed by the end of the session.
The reason why a sweeping gambling reform could fail for yet another year is not very different from previous pushes made by lawmakers. Once again, the House and the Senate have introduced two legislative pieces that include mutually exclusive provisions. Legislators from the two chambers did not pour enough effort into crafting and adopting a single legislative piece and many believe that it would not be any different when the time for compromise comes during this legislative session.
Sticking Points and Stumbling Blocks
There have been several main issues that have set Florida lawmakers apart every time they have tried to make any gambling-related decisions. The House and the Senate once again have different views on how these should be approached.
Senators added Friday a provision in the bill that authorizes the addition of slot machines at pari-mutuels in eight counties where the move had been approved in regional referendums. The House gambling legislation does not contain any such provision.
The Senate bill would allow dog and horse tracks to decouple, that is continue offering card games without being obligated to run live events. However, the House piece of legislation does not allow decoupling.
Both chambers rejected on Friday proposed amendments that would have legalized pre-reveal games. The games have been heavily blasted by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The tribe has argued that being very similar to slot machines, the games have violated its exclusivity over slots. A Circuit Judge has sided with the Seminoles.
Both the House and the Senate bills look to tackle a long-standing dispute with the Seminole Tribe over its exclusivity over certain games. The two legislative pieces propose a new compact with the tribe that would allow the latter to keep its monopoly over blackjack and to operate slot machines outside the Miami-Dade and Broward Counties in exchange for $3 billion in payments to the state in the first seven years of the new compact.
