A senator instrumental in the passage of the Legislature’s last major gambling bill released a massive proposal Thursday that would allow slot machines in eight counties — including Duval — where voters have approved them.
The bill also would let South Florida pari-mutuels run blackjack games and give tracks permission to do away with greyhound racing while keeping lucrative cardrooms and slots.
Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, called the bill (SB 8) a starting point as lawmakers gear up to deal with a potential gambling agreement being negotiated by the Seminole Tribe, Gov. Rick Scott’s staff and legislative leaders.
Negotiations with the Seminoles are underway after a portion of a 20-year deal, called a compact, expired in 2015. That portion gave the tribe the exclusive rights to operate “banked” card games such as blackjack.
But a federal judge in November ruled the Seminoles could continue to offer blackjack because the state had breached the agreement by permitting “designated player” games at pari-mutuel cardrooms.
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled the designated player games violate a state law prohibiting games in which players bet against the house.
Galvano’s soup-to-nuts proposal would make legal the designated player games.
His plan also would allow slots in eight counties where voters have approved them --- a shift away from what lawmakers previously have been willing to authorize and something the Seminoles have opposed.
The current compact, signed in 2010, gives the tribe exclusive rights to operate slot machines outside of Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
The compact called for $1 billion in guaranteed payments to the state over five years, which the tribe has exceeded. The money is a combination of revenues from slot machines and card games.
“They’ve been good partners with us and the funds are substantial. But it’s hard to ignore voters in eight counties that are telling us that they not only want these games but they want the revenues and the economic development that come from them,” Galvano said.
“So when you look at gaming comprehensively, you can’t ignore the economic development that comes on the private industry side and simply just look at revenue that comes on the compact side,” he said.
Galvano’s bill also builds on a proposed agreement struck by Scott and the tribe in late 2015 in which the Seminoles agreed to pay the state $3 billion over seven years in exchange for craps and roulette.
The proposed agreement never went into effect because the Legislature failed to give it the requisite stamp of approval.
Galvano, who is slated to take over as Senate president in 2018, said lawmakers need to decide what kind of gambling policy they want the state to have before making decisions about the types of games the tribe should be allowed to conduct.
“I know that we have to create a new agreement with the tribe. But now we have a basis for them to know what’s coming and to negotiate on the components of something, as opposed to sending a compact to us only to have a death by a thousand amendments. That’s what I want to avoid,” said Galvano, who is reprising his 2010 role as one of the Legislature’s chief negotiators with the tribe.
His 112-page proposal also includes elements sought by the state’s influential pari-mutuel industry — such as “decoupling” of dog racing and most horse racing.
If decoupling occurs, tracks would not be required to run live races to offer other forms of gambling, such as cardrooms.
The measure also would set up a regulatory structure for “fantasy” sports in Florida, requiring operators to pay an initial $500,000 licensure fee and an annual $100,000 renewal fee.