Two bills focused on the future of Florida’s gambling industry survived through committee votes on Thursday to now head to the Legislature’s floor. This year’s legislative session is slated to commence on March 7. Local media reported that one of the proposed legislations will appear before state legislators during the very first week of the session.
Senate Bill 8, sponsored by Sen. Bill Galvano, got its second affirmative vote in a Florida committee yesterday. The legislative piece was supported by a 14-2 positive vote in the Senate’s Appropriations Committee to next head to the full Senate floor. It is exactly that bill that is expected to be heard as soon as the legislative session begins.
Generally speaking, SB 8 provides for massive expansion of the state’s gambling industry, including the addition of slot machines at gambling venues in eight counties that had previously approved the move, the addition of card games at local pari-mutuels, the legalization of daily fantasy sports, and many more.
The bill also proposes a possible solution to the long-running issue between Florida and the Seminole Tribe over the latter’s exclusive right to operate blackjack at its casinos around the state. Under the proposed legislation, tribal gambling venues will no longer hold the monopoly over the provision of that particular table game but will be allowed to add roulette and craps to their offering in exchange for $3 billion in contributions to the state’s coffers over a seven-year period.
A House gambling bill also received the necessary committee support to move forward to the Legislature on Thursday. Authored by House Rep. Michael LaRosa, the legislative piece actually clashes with most of the provisions of its Senate counterpart. If SB 8 calls for significant gambling expansion, PCB TGC 17-01, the House measure, will ban such expansion, if signed into law.
As Rep. LaRosa himself told local media, his bill aims at limiting the gambling expansion trend witnessed over the past several years and keeping the Legislature at the helm of what is to happen to the state’s gambling industry in future.
Under the House bill, no slots will be added to the eight designated counties and pari-mutuels will not be allowed to operate card games. In other words, the proposed legislation contradicts its Senate counterpart by prohibiting what has been referred to as “decouplaing” or the authorization of pari-mutuels to discontinue racing operations, if they find fit, and to operate card games and slots only.
Another conflicting point is the solution proposed in the House bill in regard to the blackjack issue with the Seminoles. Under that legislative piece, the tribe will be allowed to keep blackjack as its sole provider in the state in exchange for $3 billion in payments to the state over a seven-year period.
It can be seen that although very different in their stance on gambling expansion, both bills aim at generating significant revenue to Florida coffers. As mentioned above, more clarity about the future of the state’s gambling industry will be given once the legislative session begins in a little less than two weeks from now.
