"It's been five years since Broward County voters approved slot machines at four pari-mutuel sites, ushering in a new era of gambling in South Florida.

The three Broward racetracks that have since opened casinos — Gulfstream Park, Mardi Gras (formerly Hollywood Greyhound Track) and the Isle at Pompano Park — haven't exactly failed, but they've had a tough slog. And one site, Dania Jai-alai, hasn't bothered to launch slots, its Las Vegas-based owners preferring to wait for better conditions.

The three Broward casinos have produced $340 million in state tax revenues since opening, far short of the $800 million that state economists projected they would have by this point from four casinos in a 2006 forecast.

"We're underperforming because the state handcuffed us," said Adkins, who now employs 700 people, up from 111 when the site was just a dog track.

After battling Bush, legislators, the sovereign Seminole tribal casinos, a 50 percent tax rate and the Great Recession, the pari-mutuels now face the prospect of even more competition. The cash-strapped Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist are considering full-fledged Las Vegas-style casino resorts throughout the state."

Get the Story:
Michael Mayo: Gambling’s evolution in South Florida leading to full-blown casinos (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 3/13)