Substitute bill could pave way for Seminole compact, expanded gambling across Florida

A 122-page measure could be the key that the Seminole tribe’s $3.1 billion gaming compact to finally move ahead in the Florida Legislature.

Filed over the weekend, the “proposed committee substitute” contains revisions to the new gambling deal between the state and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, according to FloridaPolitics.com. However, the new House measure is expected to “keep intact the guts” of the 20-year gaming compact, while also allowing for expanded gambling opportunities throughout Florida.

The original gaming deal will allow two new slots licenses—one at the Palm Beach Kennel Club and another for a potential new venue in Miami-Dade—but the proposed revision “allows slot machines in five of six counties where voters approved the gambling in local referendums” and “freezes the issuance of any new pari-mutuel permits, save for one in Miami-Date County.”

The proposal also allows expanded blackjack in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, albeit with a $25 bet limit, in addition to allowing dog tracks to “decouple,” or stop running live races in exchange for the more profitable slot machines and card rooms.