Legislation on expanded gambling have been hard to come by for some states in the US, but despite the struggles, some states are still far from sweeping them completely under the rug.
One such state is Florida, which has been on the fence on the issue of expanded gambling for quite some time. It’s reputation as one of the US’ most popular tourist destinations has been largely seen as an attractive bait for a lot of the world’s biggest casino operators, including Genting, which is headquartered half-a-world away in Malaysia.
On the surface, Florida has all the pieces to be a prime candidate for casino legislation, yet stringent opposition has prevented it from happening.
Back in July, Spectrum Gaming, a reputable independent research company, released a gaming report commissioned by the Florida legislature and in it, the New Jersey-based gambling consulting firm’s findings pointed to potentially negative repercussions to the state’s family-friendly reputation should casino expansion be approved.
It’s been that constant tug-of-war between pro and anti expanded gambling supporters that has kept the state from further boosting its already robust tourism industry with the addition of new casinos, or as the people in the are call them, “destination resorts”.
The discussions haven’t subsided and lawmakers in the state understand that until there’s no concrete action towards a conclusive decision, both sides will continue to toot their respective horns in an attempt to get more support on their side.
So the Florida Senate’s Gaming Committee is going to do something about, or at least discuss reform to the state’s current gambling laws, including and most importantly, expanded gambling.
The meeting has been set for the 13th of January in Tallahassee with Sen. Garrett Richter (R-Naples), who also happens to be the senate’s committee chair, presiding over the discussions to determine (hopefully) once and for all if expanded gambling really has a future in Florida.
