"Gov. Rick Scott has attempted to keep a poker face on whether he supports allowing Las Vegas-style casino resorts in Florida. But he and legislators should put their cards on the table and engage the public in a debate on the issue.

It’s a bet worth placing. One of the winners could be Bay County.

Barely a week into office, Scott had to backtrack on a comment he made in which he appeared open to allowing Vegas-style casinos. That contradicted his campaign pledge not to expand gambling.

"I don’t want the state to become largely dependent for revenues," Scott said at a Jan. 7 news conference. "And, I haven’t taken a position on doing anything different with gaming."

But he did acknowledge that shortly after his election, he met in Las Vegas with gambling executives, detouring his private jet en route to the Republican Governors Association meeting in San Diego.

Stop pussyfooting around. It’s not like Florida is pure as virgin snow when it comes to gambling."

Get the Story:
EDITORIAL: Ante up on casinos (The Panama City News Herald 1/16)

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