Editorial: Milking the Seminole Tribe casino cow

Thursday, September 24, 2009  

"Gov. Crist wants a special session to get the Legislature to ratify a new gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe. Under the terms of the proposed compact, the state would get a nice cut of the tribe's action; an estimated $6.8 billion over the next 20 years.

But Senate President Jeff Atwater is reluctant to rush into a special session. He asks, in effect, "what's the hurry?"

The answer to that question may lie in a recent New York Times article suggesting that states may be reaching a "saturation point" in their attempts to collect gambling revenues in lieu of taxes.

"Casinos and lotteries in most states are reporting a downturn in revenue for the first time, resulting in a drop in the money collected by state and local governments..." the Times reported.

The Times quoted Lucy Dadayan, senior analyst with the Nelson A. Rockerfeller Institute of Government thusly: "The data shows that states take a real chance depending on gambling because this revenue is not likely to keep pace with growing budgetary needs. In the absence of new types of gambling, it can become a zero-sum gain as states compete for the same pot."

Hence Gov. Crist's rush."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Editorial: Milking the cow (The Gainesville Sun 9/24)