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Florida House committee advances legislation adjusting gaming standards
The Florida House of Representatives' Commerce Committee sent HB 189 on to the chamber floor on Tuesday following a strong show of support.
Legislation that could toughen penalties for illegal gaming, empower municipal governments to establish their gaming ordinances, and more could see a vote in the Florida House of Representatives soon after a committee gave the bill its approval. The proposal could alter duties for the Florida Gaming Commission and enhance oversight of personnel in gaming businesses as well.
Florida House Commerce Committee recommends HB 189
A Tuesday hearing in the Florida House Commerce Committee resulted in a positive referral of HB 189, an omnibus gaming bill filed by Rep. Dana Trabulsy. The committee vote was 18-5 in favor of the proposal.
While sports fans in Florida likely are watching the bill because it would make fantasy sports games for real money explicitly legal in the state, the legislation actually has more ramifications for other types of gaming.
- Creates new criminal offenses related to unlicensed gaming operations
- Empowers municipal governments to establish local gaming standards
- Enhances ethics requirements and oversight powers of the Florida Gaming Commission
- Increases certain illegal gaming violations to felonies
- Places moratorium on Florida Gaming Commission members accepting industry jobs
- Provides for additional ownership disclosure in licensing applications and renewals
These provisions could affect commercial gaming enterprises in the state, including off-track betting sites and racetracks. Tribal gaming within Florida's borders is governed by the terms of the gaming compact between the state and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
At this time, legal online gaming in Florida is limited to sports wagering through that compact. Negotiations that could expand that framework to include Hard Rock Bet's top online casino have not commenced.
With the Commerce Committee approval, HB 189 is now up for a potential vote of the full House. The bill's enactment could make Florida more inhospitable for unlicensed gaming operations.
HB 189 aims to protect licensed gaming in Florida
During Tuesday's hearing, Trabulsy cited the Seminole Tribe of Florida's investment in the state and the need to protect that source of revenue for Florida's coffers as the rationale behind her proposal.
"The Seminole Tribe paid the state of Florida, over the course of five years, $2.5 billion," Trabulsy commented. "When we have illegal activity happening where taxes are not being paid to the state, it's just an unfair playing field, and it's unintended."
The bill also comes mere months after the Florida Gaming Commission's inaugural director, Luis Trombetta, left the role to work with FanDuel. Under the provisions of HB 189, such moves would be illegal for at least two years after staff leave their positions with the Florida Gaming Commission.
If the additional standards have their intended effect, that could foster confidence for the Seminole Tribe of Florida to move forward with expanding its presence to include online slots real money play, and other types of online casino games. That could let Florida residents and visitors enjoy iGaming promos in the same way that new players in New Jersey and Pennsylvania can take advantage of the bet365 Casino bonus code.
There are no guarantees for when momentum toward that expansion could begin, though. For the moment, all that is certain is that Florida might soon toughen many of its standards related to gaming.
