Florida Politics: No Casinos poll shows Floridians leery of gaming deal with Seminole Tribe – No Casinos

Florida Politics: No Casinos poll shows Floridians leery of gaming deal with Seminole Tribe

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Florida Politics: No Casinos poll shows Floridians leery of gaming deal with Seminole Tribe

More than 75% said they want voters to have the final say.

Floridians want the final say on the gaming deal signed late last month by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, according to a new poll commissioned by opponents of gambling expansion in Florida.

A lopsided majority of 76% surveyed believe voters should have the final say, compared with just 13% who say it should be left to the Legislature and the federal government to decide.

The poll of 800 likely Florida voters, conducted by McLaughlin & Associates of Virginia, was commissioned by No Casinos, the group that has long been the state’s leading voice against gambling expansion in Florida.

Their target: theGaming Compact that DeSantis and the Seminoles signed April 24.

It would give the tribe exclusive control of sports betting in Florida. Casinos now tied to pari-mutuel racing could continue to operate game rooms without running races anymore. The tribe would be allowed to expand its operations onto nontribal lands. In exchange, the tribe would start paying license fees to Florida again, in amounts expected to top $500 million a year.


The U.S. Department of the Interior also has to sign off on the deal.

“Floridians spoke loud in clear in 2018 when they voted in a landslide for Amendment 3 to put gambling in Florida in the hands of Floridians instead of gambling lobbyists and politicians. This poll shows they feel as strongly about that as ever and clearly understand this new agreement violates the letter and spirit of that Amendment,” John Sowinski, President of No Casinos, stated in a news release.

The survey also found that voters don’t buy the argument that mobile betting constitutes betting on tribal property simply because file servers are located there. By a 50% to 29% split, they say it is ridiculous to suggest mobile betting can be considered placing a bet on tribal land and that it is a violation of Amendment 3.

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