...major threat to the current businesses.....

Florida Chamber comes out against gaming expansion plans


By Kathleen Haughney October 13, 2011 02:23 PMTALLAHASSEE-- The Florida Chamber of Commerce is among those lining up against a destination casino bill that could bring three Las Vegas-style resorts to South Florida.

The Chamber, along with representatives of Walt Disney World, No Casinos, Inc., and Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings met with the Orlando Sentinel editorial board Thursday to talk about its opposition to gambling.

Wilson said the chamber had been opposed to gaming expansion since 1991, but that it had not been particularly active on the issue in recent years and said nothing publicly on the issue last spring when lawmakers began pushing it.

Their involvement against it though could signal a major effort to strike back against lawmakers who want to bring the casinos to Florida. The chamber carries significant political weight in Tallahassee though and is a major donor to political campaigns.

Wilson said there is a concern that local businesses could go under if large resorts like Genting or Las Vegas Sands move in to the South Florida region.

"There’s a major threat to the current businesses that are here," he said.