Florida Slots Money for Higher Education, Not Public Education

Tax revenue from the recently enacted Florida slots initiative, expected to be in the area of $223 million per year, was supposed to be used to aide public schools.

At least that is what voters were assured of before voting for the slots. The slots were approved in large scale by the voters and they are currently being installed across several Broward county race tracks. The Pompano Race Track, owned by Isle of Capri, just opened their new casino/race track that includes a large poker room and hundreds of slots.

Details of how the money was to be spent from the taxes on these slots were not worked out prior to the vote in March 2005 and as it turns out more than half of the money made will now go to higher education instead of public education.

State legislators, many of whom did not want slot machines because they felt that gambling was sinful, are now spending the sinful tax money in different ways than they promised voters. But many voters, like Paul Richie from West Palm Beach, are now asking, "which is more sinful, slot machine gambling, or lying to voters?"

It was announced today that the money made from the slots is to be allocated for financial aid and grants that the legislature did not fund during the session.

This is a kind of bait and switch that Florida politicians are pulling similar to when they instituted the state lottery many years ago.

The money made from the Florida State Lottery, when it was pitched to the public, was to be used to enhance education in the state; instead, it was used as a means to cut basic education funding and have the lottery replace those cuts.

The issue is one that is sure to be on the mind of Floridian voters should the issue of expanded gambling come up again.

"Fool me once shame on you," says Cathy Trisdal, a concerned citizen from Boca Raton, "fool me twice shame on me. But it will never happen again."

May 31, 2007
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com    Previous Page | Internet Gambling | Top Online Casinos | Submit News!