Florida Proposes New Gambling Bill
After State Senate has passed the gambling bill proposed by Senator Bill Galvano, the Florida house considered and passed a different gambling bill than the one passed by the Senate.
Galvano introduced Senate Bill 8 which would allow more casino games and slot machines that would be included at dog and horse racetracks in eight counties. Galvano’s bill was well received in the Senate, as the majority of votes went in favour of passing the Senate Bill 8. Galvano is a fierce advocate of gambling expansion as according to him it is necessary to modernize state laws concerning gambling. As it was expected, the bill on gambling expansion in the state of Florida was not well received by the Seminole tribe whose situation would be compromised if the law allowed more gaming facilities. In response to that, Galvano proposed that craps and roulette could be added to Seminole Tribe Casinos.
However, Senate Bill 8 is not the only bill that deals with the topic of gambling in the state of Florida. Another gambling bill was proposed this week, this time by the House though HB7037. The sponsor of this bill is Representative Mike La Rosa, the chairman of House tourism and gaming subcommittee. His bill gives a completely different view on gambling than the Senate. In fact HB7037 argues against gambling expansion and adds that Seminole tribe could keep blackjack tables and slot machines for the next 20 years but without the addition of any new games. Furthermore the House suggests that the slot machines be limited to tribal casinos, while the tribe would have to pay $3 billion over the next seven years. This is one mutual point in the two opposing bills as Galvano’s Senate Bill 8 also proposes the same payment for Seminole tribe.
While Senate’s bill promises the addition of craps and roulette, it expands slots and blackjack throughout the state, which would terminate the monopoly tribe had over these games. On the other hand the House lets them keep the monopoly but does not allow expansion and still imposes payment. Seminole tribe is not happy with either of the proposed bills stating that both pieces of legislation are in contradiction to the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, being that the tribe does not get much for what they are supposed to pay. This is not a new issue for the state and the tribe as they have been trying to solve it since 2015.
Both Senator Galvano and Representative La Rosa, the sponsors of the two bills in question remain determined in their stances, while the final decision will be made on the annual session which is scheduled for May 5th.
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