Spin the wheel and roll the bones: Craps and roulette could be headed to casinos in Florida. <\/p>\n
A deal under negotiation in the state Legislature would allow those games at Seminole Tribe casinos for the first time. <\/p>\n
The plan also would: <\/p>\n
The plan emerged Wednesday as the House and Senate tried to reconcile their differing versions of gambling bills. <\/p>\n
The changes had been at the heart of a gambling proposal passed by the Senate, but not in a more-restrictive version passed by the House. <\/p>\n
As negotiations continued, House negotiators announced they had come around to the Senate positions. That gives the plan a pretty good shot at becoming law, since it dealt with many of the objections from all sides. <\/p>\n
Allowing pari-mutuels to stop races but continue to operate casinos has long been a goal of both pari-mutuel owners and animal rights activists. <\/p>\n
With the exception of thoroughbred racing, animal racing has dropped in popularity and is no longer a moneymaker for most operators. <\/p>\n
There are 16 greyhound tracks in the country, according to the National Greyhound Association, and nine of them are in Florida. <\/p>\n
Of those, two Magic City in Miami-Dade and Mardi Gras in Broward have large casinos with slot machines. The others operate card rooms. <\/p>\n
Allowing them to keep operating lucrative card rooms while halting races could potentially mean the end of greyhound racing in Florida. <\/p>\n
State Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, R-Miami, called the gambling deal substantial and said it addressed many of the big ideas that had been the cause of impasse between the House gambling bill and the Senate one. <\/p>\n
The deal does contain a couple of catches. County referendums would be required to end greyhound, harness, quarter horse and some thoroughbred races and begin designated player games. <\/p>\n
The Senate plan called for two new casinos in either Broward or Miami-Dade county. The House plan calls for one casino in Miami-Dade. <\/p>\n
The Seminole Tribe, which owns casinos near Hollywood and in Coconut Creek, wanted to discourage more competition in Broward. <\/p>\n
A lot of work still remains for gambling negotiators. The House and Senate are still far apart on blackjack and slot machines. <\/p>\n
The Senate wants to allow blackjack at pari-mutuels in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, with slots in any county where voters approve them. Eight counties outside Broward and Miami-Dade, including Palm Beach County, have already done so. <\/p>\n
The original House bill allows none of that, and the Houses counteroffer Wednesday keeps those positions. <\/p>\n
Its quite a contrast to where the House was just a few days ago, said state Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, the Senates chief negotiator. One of the big issues that remains is the authorization of slots in the referendum counties. <\/p>\n
dsweeney@SunSentinel.com<\/a>, 954-356-4605 or Twitter @Daniel_Sweeney <\/p>\n Get Dan Sweeneys daily political newsletter, the Power Lunch, here. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Go here to see the original:<\/p>\n Craps and roulette could be coming to Seminole casino near you - Sun Sentinel (blog)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Spin the wheel and roll the bones: Craps and roulette could be headed to casinos in Florida. A deal under negotiation in the state Legislature would allow those games at Seminole Tribe casinos for the first time. The plan also would: The plan emerged Wednesday as the House and Senate tried to reconcile their differing versions of gambling bills Continue reading