Florida allows first dog track to ‘decouple’ from racing, keep slots

Florida has approved a Miami-area dog track’s ‘decoupling’ plan that will see it scrap racing activity while continuing to offer slots and card games.

In 2011, the Magic City Casino applied for a so-called ‘summer jai alai’ permit, under a state law that allowed the two pari-mutuel operators in Miami-Dade and Broward counties with the lowest betting handle for two consecutive years to ditch the dogs in favor of jai alai operations (on which state residents are also allowed to legally wager).

State gaming regulators originally rejected the Magic City application, but an appeals court ordered them to rethink their decision. On Wednesday, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation approved Magic City’s request, provided the new jai alai fronton is built on the same property.

The decision marks the first time the state has permitted a track to ‘decouple’ from racing while maintaining its real bread-and-butter: slots and card games. Decoupling proposals have been a regular element of Florida’s annual failed efforts to rejig its gambling market, in part because the state pays millions more to regulate dog racing than the activity provides in tax revenue.