Before betting on casinos.....

Before betting on casinos, lawmakers (and you) need some tips
By Scott Maxwell,

TAKING NAMES



As most of you know, casinos are illegal in Florida.

And except for the dozen or so casinos we have up and running — as well as the dog tracks, horse tracks, poker rooms, jai alai frontons, cruises to nowhere and government-run lottery, we are quite serious in this state about our opposition to big-time gambling.

Now, however, there's a bill in Tallahassee that calls for massive casino resorts in five different parts of the state.

It's a whopper of an 82-page bill backed by Republicans in powerful positions. But if you had to summarize all those pages in just one sentence, it'd say: "Sure, casinos are illegal … except for certain places … in every corner of the state … where we want really, really big ones."

But before politicians push all-in, I thought I'd break this debate down into bite-size bits to help you see what's at stake. And just for fun, I thought I'd sprinkle in some pieces of well-worn gambling advice for all you bettors out there.

The proposal: The basic idea is to welcome "destination resorts" to Florida. "Destination resort" basically means really big with at least 500,000 square feet of convention and meeting space. Senate Bill 1708 would allow one of these really big casinos in each of five regions around Florida. Orlando's region goes east to Volusia and up north past Jacksonville. But casinos could only go where local voters invite them — which would still rule out much of Florida, if past votes are any indication anyway.

Gambling tip No. 1: If you look around the poker table and can't spot the sucker, you're it.

The stakes: They're massive — both for taxpayers and the casino execs. Senate sponsor Dennis Jones, R-Seminole, said Thursday that the plan could easily provide more than a billion dollars a year in tax revenues, in addition to tens of thousands of jobs. But whatever the public would get, the casino companies would get tons more. Las Vegas Sands is already boasting of plans to invest $2 billion in a single resort in Miami.

Gambling tip No. 2: Looking to play a machine where you're guaranteed not to lose? Try the ones near the cashier … the ones marked "Bill Changer."