www.CasinoReview-Online.com • February 2011 • 100


Growing Growing Gone: Can Macau smash more records in 2011? INTERNATIONALNEWS3


Total Footfall: Preview the products set for


ICE Totally Gaming EXHIBITIONNEWS72


At a Cantor: Cantor Gaming racing into new


territory INTERVIEW36


Sunshine State mulls future as a casino state


The success of commercial casinos such as Sands Bethlehem in Pennsylvania is compelling Florida legislators to listen to proposals suggesting gambling expansion


With Atlantic City already being challenged by revamped gambling opportunities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York and Delaware, a new threat is now on the East coast horizon with local political powers hoping to make Florida one of the top gaming destinations in the US. As Phil Martin reports, one influential senator has Las Vegas in her sights.


allears UNITED STATES


With new political leader- ship in Tallahassee, an economy in need of a kick start and several Florida leg- islators curbing their tradi- tional opposition towards gambling, the potential for the Sunshine State to become the latest casino state is as high as it has ever been.


Of course, gambling is nothing new to Florida. In addition to its two Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, the Seminole Tribe of Florida owns and operates another five casinos; in Coconut Creek and Hollywood on the Southeast coast,


in


Immokalee near Naples, on the Brighton Reservation


north of Lake Okeechobee and on the Big Cypress Reservation south of Lake Okeechobee.


But with the 20-year state compact with the Seminole Tribe to be reviewed in five years time, the state Senate has three main options on the table; renew the deal with the Seminoles, allow racetracks across the state to operate slot machines or allow a Las Vegas operator to develop and cash in on the tax. Under this last plan, Florida would allow four to five destination casinos to bid for a chance to operate full casinos. Although they wouldn’t open during the monopoly held by the Semi- noles; the bidders would pay a US$50m application fee, boosting government coffers in the short term


and, in return, would be offered the exclusive con- tract to operate casino games within a 75-mile radius. In January, the state Senate committee was presented with a report highlighting how 13 other states had raked in millions of dollars in taxation after introducing commercial or state spon- sored gaming. The commit- tee also saw presentations by executives from Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands. Andy Abboud, vice presi- dent of the Las Vegas Sands, said: “We’re hoping that there will be legislation put forward that will be conduc- tive to us creating a model.” Al Cardenas, a Miami lob-


byist for Wynn casinos, added: “The concept is not just to create a source of


revenue for the state that could equal or surpass the lottery. More important is the billions that would be invested in our state and the creation of tens of thou- sands of permanent, high- paying jobs.”


Whilst senator Dennis


Jones, a Seminole Republi- can and chairman of the committee that heard the report, said it was ‘too early to tell’ whether Florida would become the next casino state, senate presi- dent Mike Haridopolos believes there is a ‘50-50 chance.’ They heard how having imposed a 55 per cent tax on its casinos, Pennsylvania collected US$1bn in gaming revenues, more than neigh- bouring


New Jersey. Louisiana, meanwhile, taxes


its riverboat casinos at 21.5 per cent yielding gaming tax of over US$500m each year. Jones, who is sponsoring


the bill, said Florida would also benefit from the con- struction of destination casinos as they would stem the loss of convention busi- ness to other states. He envisages four or five facili- ties state wide to be spaced 75 miles apart. Jones was also keen to emphasise that round 90 per cent of each would be focused on con- ventions, retail, leisure and entertainment and said there would be between 5,000 and 7,000 jobs created at each of the proposed loca- tions. He is also not worried about the proposal interfer- ing with the contract the state holds with the Semi- noles, claiming it would take


at least the duration of the remaining contract to get new laws passed, hold a tender process, select a winner and build the first destination casino. Lawmakers seem pre-


pared to at least listen to the opportunities that a Las Vegas style casino resort would bring to the state. Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff, once standing firmly against gambling expansion in the Florida legislature, appears now willing to make Florida one of the top gaming desti- nations in the States. “We’re already the fourth


largest gambling state in the nation,” she said. “At the end of the day, we can give Las Vegas a run for their money. We both have sand. The dif- ference is we have both sand and water.”


www.betstone.com

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98