ads@blueearthmarketing.com   712.224.5420

Opinion
Editorial: Florida tribes have upper hand on gaming


"It's understandable If Floridians are unsure of what to think about Gov. Charlie Crist's negotiations with the state's Indian tribes to allow Las Vegas-style gambling in the numerous reservation casinos around the state. Because so far, the proposed terms of the so-called "compact" have not been made public, despite today's deadline for a deal to be sealed.

But it's a sure bet that whatever the final outcome, public opinion and, more important, the public interest will be of little consequence. The deck is stacked against the state and its people in this one.

Crist, a longtime opponent of expanding gambling in Florida, is trying to put a good face on a bad situation. He's presenting the negotiations as an opportunity for Florida to pull in some extra needed income to help offset the current budget deficit of more than $1 billion. But even the Legislature's own analysts can't say, for certain, if casino tax revenues would be nominal or substantial, projecting the state's take at somewhere "between $50 million and $500 million." That's a wide range that, even optimally, would fall short of covering the $1.1 billion budget shortfall.

Regardless of the size of state's haul, the tribes are pressing for the state to hand over the exclusive rights to Class III games - namely Las Vegas-style slot machines - to the reservation casinos alone. Giving up that exclusivity is obviously imprudent. While Floridians have consistently opposed casinos, rejecting them at the polls three times since 1978, having the capacity to allow them in our tourist-rich state somewhere down the road is an ace the state would be smart to keep up its sleeve. The reality is that gambling is an ever-present and expanding industry in our state, with jai-alai frontons, dog tracks, horse races and the lottery, not to mention slot machines at parimutuels and Indian casinos. To think that Florida will never want casinos is a bet we wouldn't want to take."

Get the Story:
Editorial: The deck is stacked against us (The Ocala Star-Banner 8/28)