The two houses of Florida’s Legislature have inched closer to the time when they will be negotiating a gambling deal after the full Senate passed on Thursday a gambling expansion bill and a separate legislative piece headed to the full House floor.
Senate members voted 32-6 in support of SB 8, a proposed legislation that if approved in its current form, would unlock a massive expansion of the state’s gambling industry. In a nutshell, the bill would allow pari-mutuels around Florida to scrap live racing events but to keep casino-style games, would add slot machines in eight counties that had already approved that in countywide referendums, and would allow Seminole Tribe casinos in South Florida to add craps and roulette to their existing offering.
Successful negotiations with the Seminoles are particularly important so as for any future gambling regulations to be implemented. However, the Senate’s proposal has not been welcomed by the tribe as it scraps its exclusivity over blackjack, and it has been particularly vocal about its wish to maintain that exclusivity for as long as possible. SB 8 would provide Seminole casinos with the chance to offer different other table games in addition to blackjack, but would also allow pari-mutuels around the state to offer player-designated games that actually mimic action at actual blackjack tables.
The House gambling bill also passed a key vote on Thursday. HB 7037, as it has been filed in the Legislature’s lower house, was voted 19-11 in favor of by the Commerce Committee. That was its last committee vote and the bill will now go to the full House.
If the Florida Senate is ready to go for a massive gambling expansion, an exact opposite measure is being brewed in the House. Under HB 7037, no slot machines would be installed in pari-mutuel facilities and no craps and roulette tables would be added at Seminole casinos. However, if the bill is signed into law, it would increase the Seminoles’ payments to the state. The tribe will have to pay $3 billion in payments over the first seven years of its new compact with Florida.
The Seminoles have been battling with the state over their blackjack exclusivity since 2015. A federal judge last year supported the tribe’s claim that Florida lawmakers had violated their previous compact by allowing pari-mutuels to offer player-designated table games at their premises. The state appealed the ruling, but it is yet to become known how legal action will unfold.
It is also important to note that Seminole chiefs are not particularly happy with the House gambling bill, as well, mainly because of the fact that they are offered so little, in exchange for increased payments.
The Florida House is expected to vote on the proposed legislation next week. If members approve it, that would mean the beginning of negotiations between the two houses of the state Legislature. Lawmakers have indicated that they are ready to compromise, but it is still unknown to what extent.
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