Florida casino bill withdrawn: no more progress in 2012
In the heat of an election year, the opposition to a bill that would have seen three large casino resorts in and around Florida’s largest city Miami was just too much and the proposals have been withdrawn. Along with it go the prospects of at least $6bn in inward investment and tens of thousands of jobs. However, the supporters have vowed to fight on.
downnoout UNITED STATES
One of the most hotly antici- pated developments in casino gambling in the United States, a bill to allow three full resort casinos in Florida, was withdrawn at the start of February by the sponsor, state Representa- tive Erik Fresen, after it became apparent it would not even clear its first major hurdle.
The Bill was due to be
examined by the House Busi- ness and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee, which was said to be hostile to the pro- posals - opponents claimed that two thirds of the 15- member panel were on their side. Fresen made the deci- sion on the day to postpone the debate. According to the House
Rules chairman Gary Aubu- chon, as the committee is not scheduled to meet again in 2012, it means that the bill is “dead for this year”. Aubuchon himself is a pas- sionate opponent to the plans. He said: “Today’s action on the casino gam- bling bill is a resounding victory for those of use who have opposed this assault on Florida’s family-friendly economy.”
Paused: Genting’s Resorts World Miami must wait until at least next year before restarting the process
That ‘family-friendly economy’
however is
running at an unemploy- ment rate of just under ten per cent, representing more than 926,000 people looking for work. Propo- nents of the gambling bill said that the industry could provide around 100,000 new direct jobs, all while restricting unregulated gam- bling at internet cafés. Genting Resorts World
Miami, which has already invested $236m (E177m) in a waterfront property in downtown Miami and would likely have invested at least another $2bn (E1.5bn) in the development itself, issued a statement thanking the bill’s sponsors and praised, “all those who support efforts to bring common sense gaming reform and jobs to Florida.” It continued: “Resorts
World Miami remains com- mitted to the vision of world- class destination resorts in South Florida and will con- tinued to work with the state Legislature and the South Florida community to bring this vision into a reality.” Genting was at the fore-
front of trying to crack open the Florida market, but Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts were also looking at it in detail.
Opposition to the bill was not confined solely to the usual arguments between the self-appointed moral guardians fighting the cor- porate money-rapists; there are far more complicated competing interests at work, not least the existing gam- bling industry, which in the state itself is reserved to pari- mutuel wagering at race- tracks. In January, the bill made it
through the Florida Senate Regulated Industries com- mittee but only with a series of amendments that would give the existing pari- mutuel-based racing indus- try parity with new casinos. In Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, where the three resorts were proposed to be constructed,
the pari-
mutuels would be allowed to operate full casino games, including slot machines after the resorts had opened, and benefit from the same ten per cent tax rate.
The effective lobbying of
the pari-mutuels may have been one of the reasons the bill could not proceed further through the House committee stages, as it removed any credibility from the notion that it would reduce gambling in the state.
www.drgt.com info@drgt.com March 2012 • internationalnews 3
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