Florida Senate & House Continue to Disagree on Gambling Plan

Within the Florida House, gambling has never been the favorite topic of discussion.

It comes as no shock then, that as the House attempted to advance legislation Monday about raising betting limits within poker rooms, conservative members sent a message to the gambling friendly Senate. That message was: Back off plans to further expand gaming in a new deal with the Seminole tribe.

The Senate had proposed legislation that would allow Seminole resorts to have full casinos including craps and roulette, while allowing blackjack to be dealt at South Florida tracks. Bingo style slots would be permitted throughout the state.

On the contrast, the House would shut down blackjack tables at the tribal resorts including the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa, thus limiting the Seminole resorts to slot machines. South Florida would get a lower tax rate on slot machines and higher poker betting limits. Poker rooms would also be permitted to operate around the clock, instead of the current 12 hour a day limit.

The current proposals could be voted on as early as this week. That would leave about two more weeks to work out deals within the House and Senate before the May 1st, the end of the current session.



Despite the scaled-back parameters of the House bill, Chairman Bill Galvano, R-Brandenton, still lost four votes in Monday's committee — all from conservatives who viewed raising poker limits as a gambling expansion.

"You saw, there were four votes I didn't get there today. There's not a lot of room," Galvano said after the vote. "That's a political reality the Senate has to come to grips with."

One of the no votes was Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who is in line to become speaker in 2012.

He said he is "not a big fan of gambling in general" and didn't like the new poker limits, which would create a $50 betting limit, up from $5. No-limit Texas hold 'em games would have a maximum $1,000 buy-in, up from $100.

"Definitely, this is as far as I think we could go" in the House, Weatherford said.

Still, the Senate and gambling proponents are holding out for blackjack, perhaps through local referendums in Broward and Miami-Dade counties where voters have already approved slots.

Recently, Rep. Ron Reagan, R-Sarasota, indicated blackjack wasn't completely far-fetched.

"If it's written correctly, we probably could" pass some form of blackjack, said Reagan, who is the speaker pro tempore and former majority whip.

Gambling figures prominently in the Legislature's fight over how to close a $6 billion budget gap. The House plan would generate $373 million next year and $282 million a year after that, according to an economic analysis.

The Senate plan generates $568 million in the first year.

News Added: 14 April, 2009

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