It’s casino expansion time again in Florida, where a major change of the status quo has been unveiled in the state Senate. Pending local approval, Miami-Dade County would get one megaresort (minimum investment: $2 billion) and Broward County would get another (ditto). That’s about as close as Sheldon Adelson will probably come to his desired ‘line of death,’ er, ‘zone of exclusivity.’ Outside those two counties, dog and horse tracks would be eligible for slot machines.
Leaving aside the bill’s chances in the upper house, it faces a considerable obstacle in the lower chamber, where casino opponent and House Speaker Will Weatherford (R, right) has placed several preconditions on gaming expansion, not the least of which is a renegotiation of the existing compact with the Seminole Tribe — something Gov. Rick Scott (R) probably won’t do one nanosecond before he absolutely must. Scott is also said to look with disfavor upon the Senate’s proposal to create a Department of Gaming Control. Its gubernatorial appointees would dole out casino licenses, among other duties, but Scott apparently wants that remit to stay within his office. The three senatorial bills also contain some animal-friendly provisions. Dog tracks could hold fewer events per year but would have to report injuries suffered by greyhounds. The loudest howl of protest could be heard from Orlando-based activist John Sowinski. “It’s Christmas in February for out-of-state gambling interests, and their entire wish list can be found in these bills,” he railed. Considering that, not so long ago, Las Vegas Sands was proposing to carve up Florida into five casino jurisdictions, all designated for Sands and no one else, I’d say Sowinski is being rather hyperbolic. State Sen. Garrett Richter‘s package of bills does contain this sweetheart provision, though: “a public-record exemptions for casinos from revealing proprietary confidential information when applying for a resort license.”
Genting Group is ready to go it alone and has a site in Miami. Sands would likely prefer to fly solo, too, but if it needs a site BB&T Center in Sunrise, the Hollywood Diplomat and the Fontainebleu have all made their desires known. Boyd Gaming has an option to develop a casino, should the economics shift in its favor. For now, the non-Seminole industry is mostly slots at parimutuels, not an appealing scenario for the Vegas wing of the industry.
The Daily Caller provides a window into the bubble of sycophancy that surrounds casino pitchman and sometime nuisance Donald Trump. It’s a scary world to contemplate.
