Release Of Florida Gambling Bill On Hold For A Couple Of Weeks

February 9, 2014

The rollout of a comprehensive gambling bill will be delayed two weeks, with the Senate Gaming Committee now expected to take up the measure during the first week of the 2014 legislative session.

Gaming Committee Chairman Garrett Richter, R-Naples, sent a memo to members of the committee on Friday and said a draft of the bill won’t be introduced Monday — as he had indicated earlier.

“As it turned out, we did not finish the workshop on ‘elements and options’ for inclusion in the proposed committee bill,” Richter wrote. “Our discussion was helpful and productive, but there simply was not enough time to cover the issues presented. That being the case I think the right choice now is to postpone filing the proposed committee bill until the committee completes its high-level review.”

The committee will continue to consider the options Monday, with the draft ready by Feb. 24, Richter wrote.The committee would first review the proposal the week of March 3, he added. The 60-day legislative session starts March 4.

The measure could cover a wide range of issues such as creation of a gaming-control commission, “decoupling” racing from pari-mutuel permits that allow for slot machines and card rooms and possible authorization of one “destination resort” casino permit each in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

by The News Service of Florida

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News