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No bets on the fate of casino bill

There appears to be no safe bet in the Florida Legislature about the fate of a destination casino bill. James Call reports the proposal cleared its first Senate committee after lawmakers made significant changes.

Fort Lauderdale Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff destination casino bill is the definition of a work in progress. Here she is explaining tax rates after a Regulated Industries Committee meeting, where the casino bill was rewritten.

The committee voted 7 to 3 in favor of the bill. It now gives parity to dog and horse tracks located in the same counties with a destination casino; they would be allowed to offer the same games and be taxed at the same rate.

The first public hearing on the bill attracted a roomful of lobbyists and detractors. Bill Bunkley of the Florida Baptist Convention says he represents more than 3,000 churches with about one million members.

"Let me just say this, that defeat of this issue is the number one priority for us during the 2012 legislative session. We are asking you not to take a risky chance, not to play the odds, to potentially tarnish and put into jeopardy the world-class image of Florida as a family friendly vacation capitol of the world. "

 Bunkley presents one of the arguments Bogdanoff opponents are using against the proposal. They say when big-time gambling meets Florida’s sun in the fun image, everyone but the casinos lose. They point to how the recession ravaged Las Vegas and Atlantic City and say Florida’s economy is stronger without a reliance on gaming.  

Miami Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla thinks that is a false argument and says the jobs created by a $6 billion investment if 3 casinos are built are too numerous to ignore. He brushes aside fears that Florida would become a Vegas with beaches by saying the state has too much too offer to be defined by one activity. He says visitors come to Florida for a variety of experiences.

"Some may want to go to the family destinations in central Florida. Some may want to go to the beaches in south Florida. And if we have well-regulated destination resorts other folks will come for that purpose.  Florida is geographically and demographically blessed.  We need to recognize that we are special and we are unique and that we cannot be transformed into Vegas or Atlantic City or something else simply by having a couple two or three destination casinos. "

The bill has two more stops before it makes it to the floor. It still must clear the rules committee which is chaired by Jacksonville Senator John thrasher who didn’t support the bill’s original version and appears to like the rewrite even less.

"This bill now to me represents the largest expansion of gambling that I have seen in the country let alone the state of Florida."

In its present form the bill grants legal status to Internet Cafes, sweepstakes operations in storefronts. More than a thousand have exploited a loophole in the law and now are open across the state. However, Bogdanoff maintains the bill would cut down on the proliferation of gambling, block any new pari mutuals and create economic development.

"I do not believe this is an expansion the way everybody describes it. The goal of this bill is to harness and redirect gaming in this state. And we have not done that. We are expanding exponentially on a daily basis and done nothing as a legislature. This is an opportunity to harness it and redirect it and say we are doing something and we are making the decisions and it is not through some clever lawyer-ing."

In the Senate, the bill’s next stop is the budget committee. A House business subcommittee has discussed a companion proposal but its chairman is playing his cards close to his chest. Sarasota Representative Doug Holder has been non-committal about whether he will hold another workshop or schedule a vote.

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