Gov. Crist, Seminole Tribe announce $1 billion gambling deal
Flanked by key lawmakers, Gov. Charlie Crist and leaders of the Seminole Tribe of Florida announced they have reached a gambling deal that would reap the state up to $1 billion over the next five...
View ArticleFlorida Senate signs off on gambling deal
The Florida Senate approved a $1 billion gambling deal that could transform the state into the Las Vegas of the Southeast, leaving just one more step until the state’s compact with the Seminole tribe...
View ArticleGambling deal on its way to governor
A gambling deal that promises to bring at least $1 billion to the state over the next five years is on its way to Gov. Charlie Crist, who has promised to sign it into law. The Florida House approved...
View ArticleWhen is a casino not a casino?
When is a casino not a casino? When it’s billed as a “Destination Resort,” as Sens. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, and Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, have done in a press release announcing legislation that...
View ArticleHaridopolos on prison privatization, gambling and jobs
Senate President Mike Haridopolos defended lawmakers’ use of the budget to privatize an 18-county region from Polk County to the Florida Keys, said there would be a floor vote on an expansion of...
View ArticleCasino bills filed
Rep. Erik Fresen today filed a suite of highly-anticipated gaming bills that would allow three high-end casinos in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The 142-page plan(HB 487) creates a seven-member...
View ArticleReligious groups rally against Florida brand-changing casino proposal
A coalition of religious and anti-gambling groups are uniting to put pressure on lawmakers in the hopes of killing a proposal that would allow up to three Las Vegas-style casinos in South Florida. The...
View ArticleCannon ‘skeptical’ about casinos
Despite the lure of big bucks in a bleak budget year, House Speaker Dean Cannon is dubious about a proposal to allow up to three Las Vegas-style casinos in South Florida. “I remain very skeptical,”...
View ArticleSenate to workshop casinos bill next week
The Senate Regulated Industries Committee will hold the first of two three-hour workshop on the destination resorts proposal on Wednesday, committee chairman Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, said. Jones...
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So long Lottery – hello Department of Gambling?
Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff revealed a new wrinkle in her “strategic vision” plan for gambling – she wants to transform the Florida Lottery department into the “Florida Gaming Commission,” something up until...
View ArticleCasino kingpin calls BS – during committee meeting – on gambling critics
Colin Au, president of Malaysian-based gambling giant Genting America, made big promises to lawmakers during a Senate Regulated Industries workshop on Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff’s proposal designed to allow...
View ArticleState economists to meet again next week on casino proposal
Just how much money three new casinos might bring to the state remains unclear after state economists spent hours struggling to settle on an amount. The state Revenue Estimating Conference, made up of...
View ArticleAnti-gambling forces rake in Bondi support
Count Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi among anti-gambling forces fighting a proposal to allow three casinos in the state. Bondi will join a noon press conference hosted by “No Casinos” today, her...
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Sheriff’s office, Seminoles dispute Bondi casino ‘money laundering’ claim
The Hillsborough County Sheriff‘s Office says it hasn’t investigated any links between drugsters and money laundering at Tampa’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, contradicting a claim made by Attorney...
View ArticleScott: Lawmakers need to shut down barrel racing, slots
Gov. Rick Scott is calling on lawmakers to quickly close what he called a gray area in Florida law that allowed a Panhandle racetrack to get a permit for barrel racing and a card room and opened the...
View ArticleGambling bill rewrite tweaked. Changes tax rates, keeps Internet cafes alive...
Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff‘s latest rewrite of a sweeping gambling measure includes a few major changes but keeps intact the voter approval required for three casinos anywhere in the state and still would...
View ArticleLawmakers give casinos bill first thumbs-up
A sweeping gambling bill that would allow up to three casinos in Florida passed its first hurdle late Monday with a 7-3 vote in the Senate Regulated Industries Committee. The measure (SB 710) would...
View ArticleBusiness lobbies launch dueling gambling ads
Split business groups have upped the ante in the fight over a proposed gambling bill that would allow three mega-casinos in Florida. The competing lobbies launched a pair of dueling television ads...
View ArticleCasino bill still stalled in House
The gambling bill that would allow three casinos to open in Florida remains stalled in the House after a second workshop on the proposal Wednesday afternoon. And it remains unclear whether the...
View ArticleBondi, state regulators say no to slots at Gretna and raise doubts about Palm...
State regulators won’t give a Panhandle horsetrack permission to have slot machines without legislative approval or changes to the state constitution based on an opinion issued by Attorney General Pam...
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