Genting’s frivolous lawsuit against Miami-Dade to force casino smacks of desperation

FABIOLA SANTIAGO

MAY 13, 2016 7:00 AM

Genting’s frivolous lawsuit against Miami-Dade to force casino smacks of desperation

Malaysian casino operator refuses to accept defeat, concocts deal with Gulfstream

Sues Miami-Dade government, state attorney to pre-empt law enforcement

Omni area, now thriving arts district, doesn’t want gambling

Malaysian resort company Genting would like to build a casino-resort on the old Miami Herald site.

BY FABIOLA SANTIAGO

fsantiago@miamiherald.com

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Somebody ought to tell Genting that Miami is not Malaysia or Bimini.

In this country, courts don’t step in and legislate, nor do they pre-empt police and prosecutors from doing their jobs and enforcing laws. A frivolous lawsuit that will cost taxpayers money doesn’t buy you any friends either.

The gambling resorts giant insists on bringing casino operations to the waterfront downtown Miami property it purchased in 2011 in the Omni area, where the defunct Omni Mall used to cater to luxury shoppers and The Miami Herald building proudly stood.

The area, now a thriving arts district, is not territory poised to become gamblers’ row. But the Malaysian casino refuses to take no for an answer from local authorities, voters or the state.

After spending millions in political campaigns — and losing legislative battles to expand gaming in a way that would allow them to build the massive casino resort —– Genting’s Resorts World Omni is suing Miami-Dade County and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle to force the state to allow card games and slots in the old Omni mall space.

They’ve concocted a deal to get around a 2014 denial by state regulators to move a Gulfstream Park pari-mutuel permit to the Omni, and they’re asking a judge to declare it lawful — and to pre-empt police and prosecutors from filing criminal charges against what would be illegal Omni casino operators.

Really?

Enough already. Go away, Genting. Flip the land while it’s a boom market. The bust is always around the corner in South Florida’s storied real estate history. Take the money and run while you can.

In Bimini, the Genting gambling invasion was easier to ram down islanders’ throats despite predictable damage to the ecosystem. But here, the cards are stacked against the company — despite promises of a jobs bonanza when, in reality, the industry is moving toward cutting labor costs with automation.

This might have all gone away quicker had our politicians stood firmly against turning Miami into Las Vegas.

But city keys were handed out and Genting threw money at political campaigns up and down the state. The idea could have died permanently after the state commissioned a $400,000 study that didn’t endorse the expansion of gambling and mega casino resorts as a good thing for the state. Genting threw around more money into campaigns. They clearly expected a victory — and for the last five years the issue has been brought up by lawmakers in some form of legislation, but it has never come to pass.

Faced with public backlash, the obliging mayors of Miami and Miami-Dade came around and said, no thank you. Even the governor and Florida Legislature, which couldn’t care less about the fate of South Florida as long as they’re raking in revenues from us, have spared us (for the time being) from the quality-of-life-changer that Genting’s gambling dreams mean for the city.

“Advocates of a mega casino in downtown Miami could not convince the Legislature on the value of their project and are now resorting to a political stunt masquerading as a lawsuit, with Miami-Dade taxpayers suffering the consequences,” Democratic Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez of Miami said in a statement. “Their action should embolden those who have come together in our community against a mega-casino in our area.”

You bet.

“It seems to be like a last ditch effort to get a slot house in Miami-Dade,” Frank Nero, president of Beacon Global Advisors, told me. “Destination Casinos have no real positive economic impact but slot houses, which this will be, are the worst. They prey upon the poor and elderly. Not exactly the high rollers from Asia on chartered flights that Genting initially promised. These type operations do not bring in incremental revenue. They tap into the existing tourism and locals disposable income. They need Miami-Dade. We do not need them, as we already have a vibrant tourism industry with high occupancy and high room rates that are among the best in the country.”

Their Tallahassee lawyers don’t think so, but the Genting lawsuit smacks of nothing but desperation.

Instead of adding to the clutter in our courts, Genting would do better to hire a babalao – a Santeria priest might be of help, Miami-style — to sell the land. The anti-gambling ghosts that presided over Miami in life are still roaming the town.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fabiola-santiago/article77365467.html#storylink=cpy

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fabiola-santiago/article77365467.html

HERALD COLUMNIST SAYS GENTING GETTING ‘DESPERATE’ OVER MIAMI-DADE CASINO

May 13, 2016 By Ryan Ray

Florida’s never-ending casino wars are heating up again, in the press and in court.

In a scathing op-ed in the Miami Herald, columnistFabiola Santiago threw shade at Genting, the Malaysian casino operator, over their recent move to sue Miami-Dade County and state attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle, saying the move “smacks of desperation.”

“Somebody ought to tell Genting that Miami is not Malaysia or Bimini,” wrote Santiago.

In this country, courts don’t step in and legislate, nor do they pre-empt police and prosecutors from doing their jobs and enforcing laws. A frivolous lawsuit that will cost taxpayers money doesn’t buy you any friends either.

Santiago piled on over Genting’s “frivolous” lawsuit, which seeks to force the county to allow the group to run gaming operations at a site they claim they were promised they could.

The area, now a thriving arts district, is not territory poised to become gamblers’ row. But the Malaysian casino refuses to take no for an answer from local authorities, voters or the state.

After spending millions in political campaigns — and losing legislative battles to expand gaming in a way that would allow them to build the massive casino resort — Genting’s Resorts World Omni is suing Miami-Dade County and State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle to force the state to allow card games and slots in the old Omni mall space.

They’ve concocted a deal to get around a 2014 denial by state regulators to move a Gulfstream Park pari-mutuel permit to the Omni, and they’re asking a judge to declare it lawful — and to pre-empt police and prosecutors from filing criminal charges against what would be illegal Omni casino operators.

Really?

Enough already. Go away, Genting. Flip the land while it’s a boom market. The bust is always around the corner in South Florida’s storied real estate history. Take the money and run while you can.

Santiago accuses Genting of treating Florida like a second-rate tax haven where money opens all doors — a characterization not all would disagree with.

In Bimini, the Genting gambling invasion was easier to ram down islanders’ throats despite predictable damage to the ecosystem. But here, the cards are stacked against the company — despite promises of a jobs bonanza when, in reality, the industry is moving toward cutting labor costs with automation.

This might have all gone away quicker had our politicians stood firmly against turning Miami into Las Vegas.

But city keys were handed out and Genting threw money at political campaigns up and down the state. The idea could have died permanently after the state commissioned a $400,000 study that didn’t endorse the expansion of gambling and mega casino resorts as a good thing for the state. Genting threw around more money into campaigns. They clearly expected a victory — and for the last five years the issue has been brought up by lawmakers in some form of legislation, but it has never come to pass.

Faced with public backlash, the obliging mayors of Miami and Miami-Dade came around and said, no thank you. Even the governor and Florida Legislature, which couldn’t care less about the fate of South Florida as long as they’re raking in revenues from us, have spared us (for the time being) from the quality-of-life-changer that Genting’s gambling dreams mean for the city.

Santiago quotes Democratic Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez and a local investor, who essentially said Genting is way off base in trying to sue their way into running slots in Miami.

She ends her gleeful romp with a twist of the knife infused with a little local color.

Instead of adding to the clutter in our courts, Genting would do better to hire a babalao — a Santeria priest might be of help, Miami-style — to sell the land. The anti-gambling ghosts that presided over Miami in life are still roaming the town.

http://floridapolitics.com/archives/209660-herald-columnist-says-genting-getting-desperate-miami-dade-casino 

I've found this to be true, whether you're a conservative or a progressive. For me it's been a good benchmark for identifying whether a politician will play to our strengths or our weaknesses, whether they're a thoughtful person or just apt to take the easy way out, and so importantly, whether they can stand up to big money.

How to Know If Your Choice for President 

Is the Real Thing

Most people know a reheated biscuit is never going to be as
good as a fresh-from-the-oven biscuit. All it takes is one bite
and you know right away. When it…

THEPULSE2016.COM

How to Know If Your Choice for President Is the Real Thing

By Les Bernal on February 16, 2016
Filed Under: Candidate, Commentary, Donald Trump, gambling

Most people know a reheated biscuit is never going to be as good as a fresh-from-the-oven biscuit. All it takes is one bite and you know right away.

When it comes to determining the best candidate to support for president, there is no taste test to tell you the “fresh-from-the-oven” choice from the “reheated” ones.

But there is one major and often overlooked issue that can be more revealing than any other about whether a candidate has the ingredients to be an effective leader for the country.

That issue is the candidate’s record on “The Big Con,” also known by the label of government-sponsored gambling, and it takes place in the form of lotteries and regional casinos.

Whether or not you wager a dollar on any of government’s gambling programs, this practice affects you.

No single act of government creates more inequality of opportunity than its promotion of gambling. Fueled by massive spending on advertising, marketing and campaign donations, politicians purposely concentrate gambling in economically-distressed communities. Financially desperate citizens have become ensnared in these government-run gambling schemes as a way to try and improve their lives and help them escape their financial condition. It has become a Hail Mary investment strategy, doomed to inevitable failure. By targeting the least advantaged, government-sponsored gambling adds to the increasingly separate and unequal life patterns in education, marriage, work, and play that now are dividing America into haves and have-nots.

For the majority of citizens who never or rarely gamble, government-sponsored gambling is the biggest budget gimmick of all. Where states authorize commercial gambling, all taxpayers — including the non-gamblers — end up paying higher taxes for fewer services, and their states end up with worse budget problems over the long term, according to research by the Rockefeller Institute at SUNY-Albany. You pay even if you don’t play.

America’s most influential leaders, regardless of party, have traditionally been opposed to The Big Con. One of them, former President Ronald Reagan, has been mentioned more on the campaign trail than any other past politician. To give his impact some context, it was reported that in one of the Republican debates, the candidates invoked Reagan 42 times. They only invoked God 16 times.

How did Reagan feel about government-sponsored gambling? When he was asked for his position on a lottery for California, Reagan boldly declared: “I prefer to govern Californians based on their strengths, not their weaknesses.”

For the first time in modern presidential politics, there are several candidates, who unlike Reagan, prefer to govern citizens based on their weaknesses. Hillary Clinton, John Kasich and Donald Trump each have been major boosters of commercial gambling and government’s promotion of it.

Trump has been one of the country’s most visible casino operators, running major casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. “I left Atlantic City before it totally cratered,” he said at a Fox News debate for GOP candidates in August 2015. “And I made a lot of money in Atlantic City, and I’m very proud of it.”

No great nation has ever built prosperity on the foundations of personal debt, addiction, and the steady expansion of businesses that produce no new wealth. Relying on gambling is a sign of surrender and defeat on the part of leaders who have failed to lead.

Government-sponsored gambling represents the absolute worst of crony-capitalism and big government. It pits government’s interests against the best interests of its people. For government to win, its citizens must lose.

The alternative is to muster the courage to chart a path to true prosperity. An America freed from the yoke of government-sponsored gambling would be an America once again on the move — an America with broader and more sustainable economic growth, more honesty in government, more social trust, and the rekindling of the optimism that has long been our defining national strength.

That’s a purpose worth sacrificing for.

Les Bernal is the National Director of Stop Predatory Gambling based in Washington, DC.

http://thepulse2016.com/les-bernal/2016/02/16/how-to-know-if-your-choice-for-president-is-the-real-thing/