In a questionable political move, Missouri Rep. Scott Largent attempts to allow loans at casinos

Casino Watch Focus has reported many times that even though casino gambling is legal in Missouri, the legislature has taken many steps to safeguard its citizens from the dangers of gambling.  The Legislature successfully prevented all legislative attempts at removing a unique safeguard, the $500 loss limit, which essentially caped the amount of money that was able to be gambled and lost at one time.  The loss limit and other safeguards existed until the casino industry waged an expensive ballot initiative that removed it.  One past legislator, who was known for accepting large amount of money from the casino industry and in turn, proposing countless bills to remove these safeguards, was Rep. Shannon Cooper. His replacement, Rep. Scott Largent, appears to have picked up where Rep. Cooper left off.  The St. Louis Post Dispatch is reporting that Rep. Largent has managed to get an amendment into a bill that would allow loans at casinos.  This move appears to be politically unfavorable to his colleagues and it creates serious pitfalls for problem gamblers:

House Financial Institutions Committee added the change onto a banking bill Wednesday with no debate. Committee members endorsed it by a 13-1 vote, sending the measure to the full House after the Rules Committee approves it.

Gamblers who pass a credit check would be able to borrow money and exchange it for electronic tokens and chips for wagering.

Jamilah Nasheed, a St. Louis Democrat, said lawmakers should try to help protect problem gamblers from themselves. Nasheed voted for the bill but now says she would have voted “no” if she had known what the amendment did.

“I made a mistake,” Nasheed said. “I don’t think gamblers should take out loans. You have gamblers who are addicted. It hurts their family. They lose their property. The divorce rate is high.”

Passage in the House would send the bill to the Senate, which has been less inclined to pass gambling bills. In fact, the sponsor of the underlying bill, Sen. Ron Richard, R-Joplin, wasn’t unhappy to learn of the credit amendment.

Casino Gambling was originally passed in 1992 with multiple safeguards in place.  The original plan was to simply allow a short, two-hour riverboat cruise on the Missouri or Mississippi river, which would allow for select and controlled gambling.  Now, virtually every aspect of what Missouri citizens originally voted for has been stripped clean, leaving full-blown casino gambling, on land, with no loss limits.  This bill would remove one of the last safeguards and expose Missouri families to serious gambling problems.  The Post Dispatch continues:

The credit ban was also part of the original law. Under the bill, customers would have to qualify for a line of credit of at least $5,000. Bill proponents say that would weed out those with gambling addictions and others who couldn’t afford to go into debt to gamble. But critics say casinos entice people to wager more than they can afford.  “Any time you make it easier for people who have gambling problems to increase their debt, then you make the problem worse for them,” said Keith Spare of the Missouri Council on Problem Gambling Concerns.

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UPDATE: Florida Destination Gambling Bill Essentially Dies in the House

Casino Watch Focus reported that the Mega Resort Gambling bill had taken its first step in the Senate by being voted out of a committee.  It still needed to travel farther in the Senate, but it was assumed the bill would stall in the House.  The bill must pass through both sides of the legislature on its path to become law.  If the bill fails in one chamber, it wont pass during that years legislative session.  The Florida Independent is reporting  that the bill has been pulled by the author, Rep. Fresen, in the house:

State Rep. Erik Fresen’s request at a House subcommittee meeting in Tallahassee today to temporarily postpone his bill to allow Las Vegas-style casinos in South Florida essentially killed the bill for the 2012 legislative session.

After 90 minutes of debate, Fresen said, “To the extent that I have been around this process long enough” and “having the ability to read the tea leaves and recognize where this bill is headed in this committee … I would in a very friendly manner ask through chair Holder to temporarily postpone this bill as we continue to workshop it.”

State Rep. Doug Holder, R-Sarasota, responded, “Before we make that decision Rep. Fresen I want to be really clear this is the last time that this subcommittee will meet” during the 2012 session, adding,”in other words, there will be no opportunity to hear this bill before the 2013 session convenes.”

 Rep. Fresen pulled the bill.  One small possibility does exist to  bring the bill back up in the 2012 legislative session.  The Miami Herald explains the possibility:

After a lengthy debate, the House Business and Consumer Affairs and subcommittee stopped short of killing the bill to bring three so-called destination resorts to Florida but, by failing to take a final vote on the measure, left it on life support.

After working for weeks to muster the votes on the 15-member committee, Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, couldn’t get a majority. He asked the committee to postpone a vote, leaving it in indefinite limbo under House rules. The only opportunity to revive it is if the House takes up a similar Senate bill.

The Senate bill has stalled, as they were waiting to see how the House would react.  It seems very unlikely that they will waste the time to try to push their version of the bill through, now knowing that the house version couldn’t even make it out of a committee.

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UPDATE: Florida Destination Gambling Bill Takes First Step, Has a Long Path Ahead

Casino Watch Focus reported that the Florida Gambling Bill had faced enough obstacles and opposition, that the bill’s author, Senator Bogdanoff, made an incredible amount of revisions and gambling expansions, in an attempt to bring as many people on board as possible. As originally expected, the Florida Senate was the likely starting ground for the bill to take hold.  The Sunshine State news is reporting that he bill has passed the first step, a small Senate committee, but it still has a long way to go:

A proposal to create a statewide gaming commission and allow voters to approve up to three mega casinos cleared its first hurdle Monday in the Florida Senate.  However, the odds appear to have grown longer against the success of the bill. The Senate Regulated Industries Committee voted 7-3 on Monday in support of the Destination Gaming bill.

In voting against the bill, SB 710, Sen. Charles Dean, R-Inverness, said the bill reaches “too far” and “too fast” in expanding gaming in Florida.  Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, added that the bill doesn’t fit with the image many have of Florida.

“This doesn’t fit into our scheme of what we want to be and what we want to represent as a family friend destination,” Altman said.

The Sunshine State news goes on to explain that the next step is for the bill to go before the Rules Committee and that might take extra political pressure.  The silence of the House on the issue will also play a major role:

Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, called the bill too vague for an unelected gaming commission to interpret and would create an expansion of gaming across the state.

Thrasher’s objection, which wasn’t unexpected, places a potential barrier for the bill reaching the Senate floor.

He added after the meeting that he currently has no plan — unless Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, asks — to put the bill before his Rules Committee.

The bill must go before the Rules Committee if it clears its next stop before the Senate Budget Committee.

“We haven’t had the first indication from the House if they have any interest in this bill yet,” Thrasher said.  “So I have a feeling this bill will slow down dramatically until we see some movement, if any, from the House.”

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UPDATE: Florida Gambling Bill’s Fierce Opposition Causes 170 Page Rewrite by Senator Bogdanoff

Casino Watch Focus reported that the Coalition to oppose the Florida destination casinos bill had grown to an impressive level when top Florida Cabinet members Bondi, Putnam, and Atwater joined the fray.  Now that the short, 60-day legislative session has begun, the clock is ticking on the bill’s supporter, Senator Bogdanoff, to get the votes necessary to pass the legislation.  The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that the uphill battle has caused Senator Bogdanoff to rewrite the bill in a desperate hope to get support:

Senate sponsor Ellyn Bogdanoff last week released a 170-page rewrite of the bill to help take pressure off reluctant lawmakers by including a requirement that any county — including Miami Dade or Broward — that wants to attract one of three mega resorts must first get voter approval.

To win over supporters of the existing pari-mutuels, the revised bill allows them to operate Las Vegas-style games and receive a lowered tax rate if they compete directly with the new casinos. And across the state, any struggling horse and dog tracks and jai alai frontons would be allowed to ask voters to let them install slot machines.

The bill also attempts to win over gaming opponents. Bogdanoff, a Fort Lauderdale Republican, and House sponsor, Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, would ban new pari-mutuel permits, regulate or close internet cafes and set up a strict new regulatory structure. The state would create a new “Department of Gaming Control” to administer and license the casino resorts and regulate the pari-mutuels and card rooms.

The bill has the effect of expanding gambling even more under the guise of allowing public choice.  The best chance for the bill to gain early traction appears to be in the Senate.  The Tampa Bay Times explains:

There is no guarantee these changes will assuage critics when the bill comes up for its first vote in the Senate. But the bigger test is in the House, where a conservative Republican majority and a presiding officer, whose home territory includes Disney World in Orlando, are reluctant to open the door to anything that could harm the state’s family-friendly tourism image. One thing is certain about the looming legislative debate over gambling: It will be an epic battle in Tallahassee.

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Top Florida Cabinet Members Join in Opposition of Proposed Destination-Casinos

Casino Watch Focus reported that a diverse group of individuals and groups were standing strong in their opposition to the Destination Casinos bill introduced by  Senator Ellyn Bogandoff.  The more mainstream groups that oppose expanded gambling include Disney, The Florida Chamber of Commerce, The Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, and The Florida Attractions Association.

Joining them is a coalition anti-gambling groups such as the No Casino, the Florida Baptist Convention, the Florida Catholic Conference, Florida Casino Watch and Florida Family Action.  The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling not only provided the statistics for current gambling issues, but they also went as far as to say that the state’s policymakers shouldn’t expand  gambling until it gets its house in order.  If that collective opposition wasn’t representative enough of those in Florida, now all three of the Florida Cabinet members have come out against these Vegas-style destination casinos.  The Palm Beach Post reports:

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam joined forces Thursday with a coalition of law enforcement officers, social conservatives and business lobbyists determined to kill a proposal to allow three more casinos in Florida.

The pair are the state’s highest-ranking GOP officials to publicly oppose the “destination resorts” bill now working its way through the state legislature. A spokeswoman for Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, the third member of the Florida Cabinet and also a Republican, said later that he opposes the measure, too.

That leaves Gov. Rick Scott as the only executive wild card. Scott has not taken a firm stance on the measures (SB 710, HB 487), although he has repeatedly said he does not want the state to become dependent on revenues generated by the casinos. He also has said he doesn’t want a casino going into a county unless voters there approve first.

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Florida Legislator Looking to Replace One Plan of Expanded Gambling for Another

Casino Watch Focus reported that after a Florida appellate court upheld the decision of a lower court to effectively allow legislators to expand gambling without a vote of the people, the anticipated “destination casino” bills were filed.  Now, one Florida House Rep is looking to capitalize on people’s frustrations by enacting a different gambling bill.  The Miami Herald explains:

In an attempt to shift the debate from Miami casinos to the state’s bottom line, state Rep. Joe Abruzzo is filing a bill Wednesday to direct Gov. Rick Scott to give the Seminole Tribe exclusive operation of casino games in Florida for 15 more years in exchange for an annual guarantee of $750 million.

The four-page bill would authorize the governor to re-open the 20-year gambling compact signed in 2009 by Gov. Charlie Crist that now requires the Seminole Tribe of Florida to guarantee $1 billion in the first five years in exchange for the exclusive right to offer table games in Miami Dade and Broward and slot machines outside of South Florida. The tribe now pays an average of $150 million a year under the agreement.

 Abruzzo is trying to disguise the bill as one that would prevent the South Florida designation casinos, prevent expanded gambling and provide more money to the state.  He is selling it as something that wouldn’t expand gambling when he claims that “this still maintains what is a (gambling) deal but would not be that massive of an expansion. Clusters of neighborhoods based around gaming would not be popping up outside of what already exists within Indian reservations.”  However, the Seminoles wouldn’t be supportive of the bill if they had to pay out $750 million to the state with no new revenue or possible venues.  Most interestingly however, the bill would also allow the Compact to be reopened and with it, the chance for more full scale Vegas style gambling.  The Miami Herald goes on to explain what Abruzzo’s motivation for such change could be:

Abruzzo, a gambling supporter, has also filed a local bill that would allow the Palm Beach County Kennel Club to start offering slot machines – a measure that, if passed, would violate the current gambling compact with the state.

It seems plausible that he is simply attempting to allow additional gambling at current Seminole locations, while altering the compact to allow for slots and other gambling in new locations.  Either way, bills like this draw a skeptical eye and typically for good reason.  The best support to protect the families of Florida is to oppose any new attempts at expanding gambling in the state, even those who’s authors claim it “wouldn’t be that massive of an expansion.” 

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A diverse mix of Groups Oppose Full-Scale Vegas-Style Gambling in Florida

Casino Watch focus reported that a bill has been introduced in the Florida legislature to expand gambling by allowing mega Vegas-style destination casinos. Key groups immediately came out against this possible gambling expansion including The Florida Chamber of Commerce, Disney and The Florida Hotel and Lodging Association to name a few.  Now, The Miami Herald is reporting that another key group is coming out against gambling expansion:

The board of the association of tourist attractions and parks today announced it will oppose the “destination resorts” casino bill if it moves through the Legislature.

The Florida Attractions Association, which represents public and private tourist sites throughout the state (from the Monkey Jungle and the Miami Science Museum to Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo), warned that the experience of other states is troubling.

“Less fortunate destinations around the U.S. have sought to increase their market share of tourism by adding casino gambling to their states,” the association said in a press release. “The results have been less than stellar. Promises of economic boom and employment gains are not sustained, and casino gambling has become passé with their proliferation and the passage of time.”

As the economic and tourist driven groups are making their presence known, so are a coalition of religious and other anti-gambling groups.  The St. Augustine Record explains:

A coalition of religious and anti-gambling groups said Tuesday they are launching an aggressive lobbying campaign to convince the Legislature to reject a plan to allow massive luxury casinos in two South Florida counties.

These predominantly religious groups join a growing list of opponents to identical bills (HB 487, SB 710) that permit Las Vegas-style “destination resort” casinos and establish a new state agency to regulate gambling.

Groups such as the Florida Baptist Convention, the Florida Catholic Conference, Florida Casino Watch and Florida Family Action say they oppose any measure to expand gambling because it victimizes poor people, tempts compulsive gamblers, sullies the state’s family-friend image and could harm businesses that rely on tourists.

“We are working to make our message very clear to legislators that it is unconscionable to vote for a change that will negatively affect thousands of families in our state,” said Mark Andrews, chairman of Florida Casino Watch.

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Much-anticipated Casino bill filled in the Florida Legislature

Casino Watch Focus reported that an appellate court ruling in Florida opened the door to the Legislature to pass gambling expansion legislation without a direct vote of the people.  It has been anticipated that a bill would be introduced to allow major destination casinos.  Now the Sun Sentinel online explains:

A long-promised “destination casino” bill was filed Wednesday, allowing three Las Vegas-style operations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and setting the stage for a full-throttle debate about gambling in Florida.

The bill will be one of the most heavily lobbied pieces of legislation during the 2012 legislative session, which starts Jan. 10. Social conservatives, as well as business and tourism groups, are opposed

Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, a prime sponsor along with Miami Republican Rep. Erik Fresen, says the measure (HB 487, SB 710) is an attempt to “begin the conversation” about an industry that’s metastasized in recent years.

HB 487/SB 710 would create a new agency to oversee gambling and it would invite developers to offer plans for multi-billion-dollar destination casinos.  The case can still be appealed up to the Florida Supreme Court.  Even if the appellate court decision is upheld, enough pressure can still be put on the Legislature to vote against this expansion.

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Florida Hotel and Restaurant group is against Las Vegas stytle casino expansion.

Casino Watch Focus has explained that a recent court ruling at the appellate level in Florida has currently paved the way for Florida legislature to pass expanded gambling legislation without a vote from the people.  Key groups immediate came out against this possible gambling expansion.  Casino Watch Focus specifically reported that The Florida Chamber of Commerce, Disney, the Orange County Sheriff and No Casinos Inc were among the original voices to speak out.  Now the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association has come out against expansion as well.  The Orlando Sentinel explains:

The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association released an overview of its legislative priorities for the 2012 legislative session and among them is the defeat of the destination casino bill.

“Florida is considered one of the most family-friendly destination locations in the world,” a release from the group outlining the priorities reads. “Should we gamble our decades of work to build our wholesome reputation on the risky proposition that those big spending foreign gamblers will solve our economic problems?”

The court ruling could still be challenged to the Florida Supreme Court.  However, if the ruling stands and legislators can pass bills without a vote of the people, they would be wise to remember that they still represent the people and their reelection ability will hinge on such representation.  An online source revealed that only 20% of Florida voters support expansion of gambling:

While some politicians and lobbyists in Tallahassee seem mesmerized by the neon lights and garish glitter of high-stakes casino gambling, an overwhelming majority of likely Florida voters either want gambling scaled back or left as is.

“Voters know that more gambling never lives up to the promises made by gambling interests,” said No Casinos President John Sowinski. “The Florida Lottery was supposed to save education – It did not. Slots in Dade and Broward were supposed to pay big dividends to schools – They have not. Now a Malaysian gambling conglomerate and Las Vegas casino giants are making even bigger promises. Florida voters are smart enough to see through their smokescreen.”

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Another Congressional session, another attempt to legalize online gambling

Casino Watch Focus has reported  many times of the failed attempt by both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives to legalize online gambling.  Each legislative session has ended with the same rules in place which effectively make gambling online illegal, and each subsequent legislative session begins with some attempts to legalize online gambling.  Now, an online source is reporting that several new attempts are in the works, including one to legalize online poker with an option for each state to opt out:

U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, is drafting legislation that would legalize Internet poker, a spokesperson tells Digital Transactions News. “This is a poker-only bill,” the spokesperson says.  Some Capitol Hill publications speculated that Barton would introduce his bill as early as this week, but that won’t happen, his spokesperson says. Barton is still lining up co-sponsors and working on the language.

Last week, U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., introduced the Internet Gambling Regulation and Tax Enforcement Act of 2011, H.R. 2230, which would set up procedures to collect taxes from legal online wagering. McDermott’s two cosponsors are U.S. Reps. John Campbell, R-Calif., and Barney Frank, D-Mass., who in March introduced their

Internet Gambling, Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act. That bill, H.R. 1174, would legalize online gambling except sports betting and have the U.S. Treasury Department regulate it. H.R. 1174 is identical to a measure the two offered in the last session of Congress that failed, according to a spokesperson for the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative, a pro-wagering lobbying group.

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Florida Governor responds to calls to veto $400,000 pro-gambling study but remains politically ambivalent on the casino debate

Casino Watch Focus reported that the Florida legislature cut $400,000 from programs designed to help those with compulsive gambling issues, while also approving a new $400,000 gambling study.  The seeming intent of the study was to focus on the financial gains of new destination casinos, while ignoring the devastation and negative consequences of gambling. Immediately following the approval of the budget, groups started asking Governor Scott to veto the budget. One online source explained how one sided the study would be:

Gov. Rick Scott should reject a $400,000 gambling study in the 2011-2012 state budget and restore funding cuts to programs that help those harmed by gambling, Florida Baptist Convention legislative consultant Bill Bunkley urged in a May 19 letter. “In this critical and tight budgetary year when many fellow Floridians are unemployed and struggling to provide some of the basics of life, it is not the time to promote and subsidize the rich, deep-pocketed interests of the large-scale, Las Vegas casino enterprises or the horse racing industry,” Bunkley wrote. The study will not be “balanced,” he added, because it fails to require exploration of the “huge social costs the state will without a doubt” incur due to expanded gambling.  If there is to be a potentially pro-gambling study, it should be underwritten by the gambling industry, not taxpayers, Bunkley said.

 As the Sun Sentinel explains, The Florida Baptist Convention represents almost 3,000 churches and has more than 1 million members.  They represent a fairly strong republican voting base that the Governor couldn’t easily ignore.  As a result, an online Tampa news source is reporting that Gov Scott has vetoed the study.  As has become common on the gambling issue since his election, the Governor issued a statement that seeks political balance, not a firm position:

“I am vetoing $400,000 for a gambling study. While I encourage the Legislature to make a comprehensive review of additional gaming, I believe it is important to have a full consideration of the positive economic impact, the costs that may result from this policy, and the impact on current gaming in our state. However, such a study at this time is an expense Florida taxpayers should not incur.”

It is unclear as to the possibility of refunding the $400,000 cut from Compulsive Gambling Programs.  Keep checking for updated and for more information on the dangers of gambling, please visit CASINO WATCH, & CASINO WATCH FOUNDATION

New Online Gambling Bill Filed – Identical to other past failed attempts

Casino Watch Focus reported that U.S. Rep. Barney Frank’s desire to regulate online gambling was all but shut down after the midterm elections.  Then, a last minute effort was made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, but Casino Watch Focus reported that he was unsuccessful at his attempt to attach the pro-gambling bill to sure-to-pass legislation during the lame duck session.  Now, an online source is reporting that Rep. Frank is attempting to legalize gambling again, this time teamed up with Republican John Campbell:

Congressman John Campbell (R-CA) along with Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced today The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act.

The legislation comes in response to the enactment of Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which restricted the use of the payments system for Americans who gamble online.

“The bill is identical to H.R. 2267 that was passed out of the House  Financial Services Committee on July 28, 2010 with bi-partisan support.”

Time will tell if this next attempt to legalize online gambling will end in failure like its predecessors.  Some bi-partisan support was not enough in the past, and with no reports of a greater level of bi-partisan support, it will interesting to see what this bill’s supporters plan to do to truly make it different than years past.

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UPDATE: Florida State Senators introduce Vegas Style Casino expansion bill

Casino Watch Focus reported that Las Vegas Sands Corp and Wynn Casinos pitched their idea for Vegas style casinos to the Senate Regulation Industries Committee.  Now an online source is reporting that two Florida State Senators serving in that Committee, Dennis Jones and Maria Sachs, have officially filed legislation that would create destination gambling casinos:

Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, and Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, announced the news via a release Friday. Jones is chair and Sachs is vice chair of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee, which gambling falls under.

The legislation would authorize what Jones calls one “destination resort” in each of five districts across the state. Broward and Miami-Dade counties comprise one district. Palm Beach County is part of another, along four counties that neighbor it. The casinos would require approval by local referendum, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the state’s pari-mutuels say they’re going to fight it.

This legislation would have an impact on the 2010 agreement between the Florida government and the Seminole Tribe.  The agreement allows the Seminole Tribe to offer blackjack and other table games in their casinos at a payoff price of about $1 billion over five years to the Florida government.  That agreement was based on the Seminoles being the only casinos allowed in the state and destination casinos would void the exclusivity of the agreement, thus costing Florida those funds.  The online article explained that the tradeoff will be a tough sell:

“If the Legislature wants to allow in new entities, it will have to decide if it’s a good tradeoff,” tribe spokesman Gary Bitner said. “Are they going to make enough to make up the assured payments from the tribe?” Until now, gambling in Florida has grown piecemeal. But getting the state, and then the public, to take the leap to full casinos could be a tough sell.

Dick Batchelor, a Democrat from Orlando who served in the Florida House of Representatives for eight years, said he and others feel such an expansion could hurt the state. “We all know it’s about money, but rather than do the right thing and set better priorities; they’re going to the vice industry, and I’m a pretty liberal guy,” he said. “The bottom line is, ‘Is it good for Florida?’ and I would suggest it’s not at all good.

“The ultimate result of this legislation will be a net loss due to the decimation of the pari-mutuel industry and lost revenue from the Seminole compact,” said [John Lockwood of Gunster law firm, who represents a number of pari-mutuel facilities in Florida].

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Las Vegas Casino Companies Pitched plans to the Florida State Government

Casino Watch Focus reported that with Gov Scott’s position on gambling coming into question, Florida State Senator Dennis Jones has put forth legislation to consider Vegas style designation gambling casinos.  Now the St Petersburg Times is reporting that two companies pitched ideas to the Senate Regulation Industries Committee:

Andy Abboud of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Michael Britt of Wynn Casinos presented a glossy slideshow of their properties to members of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee. The Las Vegas Sands has been on a two-year crusade to bring its resort-style casinos and convention space to Miami. Miami is “underserved by convention and trade show space,” Abboud said, but added “we’re open to the entire state.”

Under the proposal being pushed by Sands, the state would allow for exclusive operation of five casinos within a 75-mile radius. Voters in each of the regions would have to approve the casino and then a five-member commission would choose which casino operator gets the bid. The casinos would pay a $50 million application fee and be taxed at a rate lower than the state’s parimutuels, which now pay 35 percent of their earnings.

Both companies realize they need Senator Jones’ legislation to pass and they must offer up plans that are far more aggressive and large scale than what the state is allowing currently. As part of their efforts, the companies have increased their political presence by joining key groups and hiring well connected gambling lobbyist:

The Sands has hired six lobbyists and paid an undisclosed amount to become a member of Associated Industries of Florida, whose president Barney Bishop is now lobbying on behalf of destination gambling resorts. Wynn Casinos has hired Al Cardenas and two members of his lobbying team, including Lanny Wiles, a former aide to Gov. Rick Scott. Genting Berhad, the growing Malaysian casino giant, is in negotiations to hire a lobbyist who works with another Scott aide, Chris Kise.

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Florida Legislature to consider Gambling Expansion Bill lead by Senator Dennis Jones

Casino Watch Focus reported that Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s position on gambling expansion in Florida had come under question.  Some in the Florida Legislature have viewed this as an opportunity to push legislation that could take advantage of any change in philosophy from the Governor’s office.  A Tampa News Station reported the details of Senator Dennis Jones’ bill to expand gambling in Florida:

It includes four or five of what he calls “destination casinos,” offering a lot more than cards and slots. Sen. Jones says, under his bill, a casino operator would have to pay a $50 million application fee to the state. But will the new governor raise the stakes and let it get that far? It’s a safe bet there’s more on this issue to come.

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