Gambling in Florida
March 14, 2010 – Whether the Indian casinos are going to be the “only game in town” remains to be seen. While Florida’s Governor is pushing to sign the Indian compact closing the door to other gaming interests, not everyone is eager to give the Seminole tribe such a big victory, regardless of the millions of dollars that will be dumped into Florida’s education coffer.
Opponents don’t want Florida to become another Las Vegas. “We don’t want gambling here,” they say. But gambling has been legal in Florida for years: dog racing, horse racing, jai alai, bingo halls, and the lottery are all gambling. Why not full-fledged, Las Vegas-style, casinos?
Currently the biggest “Las Vegas-style” casinos are the two Seminole Hard Rock Casinos, one in Hollywood, the other in Tampa. The Hollywood casino has competition from other casinos (mostly their own) within fairly easy driving distance. The Tampa casino has no competition and payouts reflect this.