Seminole gaming bill moving quickly in Florida

Thursday, March 26, 2009  

Lawmakers in the Florida Senate unveiled, considered and passed a bill to authorize Class III gaming for the Seminole Tribe in record time this week.

The bill affirms the tribe's right to offer slot machines and table games. It requires the tribe to share at least $400 million a year, more than the amount in an existing compact that is under dispute.

The bill also contains provisions to favor non-Indian race tracks. They would be able to offer certain electronic games and certain card games and would pay a lower tax rate to the state.

The Florida House is considering a different proposal that restricts the tribe to slot machines but also helps the non-Indian tracks.

Get the Story:
Senate committee authorizes $1 billion gambling expansion (The Miami Herald 3/26)
Gambling Bill Clears Senate Panel (The Tampa Bay Tribune 3/26)
Senate panel OKs gambling accord (The Palm Beach Post 3/26)
Florida Senate passes bill that would allow no-limit poker at pari-mutuels (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 3/26)

Some Opinions:
Editorial: Gambling ... court decision gives Florida better odds of a balanced deal (The Naples Daily News 3/26)
Editorial: No buried treasure at end of this rainbow (The Miami Herald 3/26)