Column: Vegas developers lobby for more gaming in Florida

Monday, May 2, 2011  

"Florida continues to be the gaming industry's Holy Grail.

And, like the line from the Monty Python movie, casino expansion advocates hope the issue is not dead yet.

There's too much money to be made from the Sunshine State.

In 2010, Florida's four racetrack casinos produced $217 million in gaming revenues. That's a pittance compared with the $2.05 billion in revenues collected in 2009 by the state's eight Indian casinos, according to Casino City's Indian Gaming Industry Report.

That's more than 2.2 billion reasons why Las Vegas Sands Corp., MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts Ltd., have lobbyists patrolling the Florida Legislature."

Get the Story:
Inside Gaming by Howard Stutz: Sights set on Sunshine State (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 5/1)

Related Stories:
Plans to expand non-Indian gaming in Florida not dead after all (4/6)
Bill to expand non-Indian gaming in Florida considered dead (3/30)
Editorial: Florida deserves more benefits from casino industry (3/21)
Lawmakers in Florida consider proposal to legalize Internet poker (1/28)
Las Vegas developers continue to make pitch to expand in Florida (1/26)
Editorial: Expansion of gaming might stimulate economy in Florida (1/17)
Las Vegas developers eager to bring their operations into Florida (1/12)
New Florida governor clarifies remarks about gaming expansion (1/11)
Florida lawmakers gearing up for more discussions about gaming (1/7)