Real casinos in FL: Florida Senate panel passes broad gambling plan

[thelakelander]

Full fledged casinos may be on their way to Florida.

TALLAHASSEE - A plan that would turn Florida tribal casinos into mini-versions of the Las Vegas strip passed out of the Senate Regulated Industries Committee today with virtually no debate and scant opposition.

The Senate plan would give the Seminole tribe full-fledged casinos, adding craps and roulette to its current gaming roster of no-limit poker, blackjack, baccarat and slots. And gambling would flourish on non-tribal lands, too, with blackjack tables at South Florida racetracks and slots-like video-lottery games elsewhere in the state.

"We're going to allow both our existing pari-mutuels and the Seminole tribe, hopefully, to be very, very prosperous in the future and we're going to benefit from that," said Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, who chairs Regulated Industries.

He added the bill would make Florida a "tourist destination for gaming. And let's face it: We're already a gaming state. With the lottery, with cruises to nowhere, with pari-mutuels that have been here for 75 years, don't kid yourself: We're a gaming state. So why wouldn't you want to become the cream of the crop?"

The tribe would pay the state $400 million a year for the right to operate full, Vegas-legal casinos under the Senate plan.

full article: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/sfl-0325-gambling,0,1914717.story

[copperfiend]

There is a market for that in NE Florida but sadly we only have low stakes poker and puppies.

[BridgeTroll]

Put that at the landing...

[jacksonvilleconfidential]

Hell to the YES!!!

[Ocklawaha]

I used the one in Tonopah, Nevada to teach my children not to gamble. We sat in the restaurant and they watched the game floor and kept begging me to play the slots. NO! NO! and NO! Finally as we left I stuck in a quarter and walked out, telling them we just threw that away. Got out the door and some casino guy chases me down and tells me, come back in; your going to need this bucket! Oh Shit!

This will happen in Jacksonville about 16 years after the last Baptist church closes it's doors.

Sure would be a nice fit for that Southbank JEA property... I still think a golden Myan Temple about 300' tall would look so cool there as a casino.

OCKLAWAHA

[copperfiend]

Put that at the landing...

For real. My idea was to move the Kids Kampus to wherever Peyton wants it and turn Bay Street into the Vegas strip.

[Deuce]

Mayan Temple. Me likes that idea. In these times when gov is struggling for money, even the Baptists will be hard pressed to stop it. But it sounds like the plan only allows for expansion of gambling at existing pari-mutuels, so no golden gambling god to sacrifice our hard earned dollars to.

[BridgeTroll]

Ahhh... the neon lights of Bay Street.

[copperfiend]

The revenue could help build a new jail away from the core.

[fsujax]

I wonder if Bay St would be like Reno or more like Vegas....I have been to both and there is a big difference.

[BridgeTroll]

Id be happy with Biloxi...