Florida Legislators Look Towards Full-Blown Casino Gambling

For months, Florida legislators have been cold to the idea of signing a casino gambling compact with the Seminole Indians. On Monday, lawmakers may have given the public an indication as to why they have been so reluctant.

In a stunning turn of events, several lawmakers indicated on Monday that the next step for the future of casino gambling in Florida may be to go to the voters. The lawmakers acknowledged that casino gambling is here to stay, and revealed that the best option may be for the state to get into the game.

"As anti-gaming as I was, it's here, and it's not going away," said Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, a Republican from Ft. Lauderdale, as reported in the Sun-Sentinel, "You go to plan B, which is free market."

That was the sentiment of many of the lawmakers who spoke on the gambling issue. Legislators are starting to realize the large amounts of revenue that the state can make if they combine their already booming tourism industry with casino resorts.

Representative Alan Hays offered the brashest of plans to fellow lawmakers on Monday. Hays suggested that a gambling commission needs to be created in the state, and that outside casino operators should be contracted to run casinos in Florida. It is a similar plan to the one that Kansas put in place a couple of years ago.

It has long been the Republican leaders in the state that have opposed the Seminole gambling compact, and judging by their reaction on Monday, it seems as though they may have had a casino gambling expansion plan all along. As for the compact, there looks to be little chance of it passing.

"We can compete head on with the tribe," said Hays, "We need to say absolutely no to this compact-period." Although these lawmakers are talking a good game regarding expanded gambling, there is a chance they are spreading this word as a reason to turn away the Seminole compact.

Whether they move forward with their resistance of the gambling compact or not, Monday served as a historically important day for the future of casino gambling in Florida. For the first time, lawmakers agreed that casinos are not going away, they are only expanding.

Now that the state leaders understand that, they may finally be able to work together to bring the best casino options to Florida.

November 3, 2009
Posted By April Gardner
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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