A lawmaker in Florida is attempting to push tribes and the state to come to a contract, and finally initiate legally valid sports betting. Senator of the state, Jeff Brandes offered three bills at the end of December, all regarding sports betting.
Bill 392 would activate the Lottery Department to operators sports wagering. Moreover, Bill 394 would inflict at 15% tax on the total amount received from a sports resource, and the last Bill 396 generates a $0.1 million application and revival fee for sports wagering licenses. All the revenues gathered from the Bills would be given to funds for education and the state.
Tribes and State
Though all these bills have robust motivation to get passed, contemplating on the fact Florida has a predicted $3 billion shortage in revenue for upcoming couple of years, these bills are being considered to be more like a message to all the tribes and Florida to amend their gaming contract. The legislature closed its previous year’s session with no accordance reached.
One of the tribes, the Seminole Tribe has already objected to the State’s legislating sports wagering without a plebiscite. An amendment of 2018 legislated that any kind of expansion of betting or gambling should be voted by the residence and it will require a 60% agreement to pass. The tribe then couldn’t make any monthly payment to Florida after the expiry of their contract in 2019 and hasn’t got a new contract ever since.
The effort and brinkmanship of Senator Brandes could consequence in one of the many things. Florida could receive sports gaming without any kind of involvement of the Tribe, or the tribes might be back to the negotiating table, or it can push court fight to determine the future.
If the Seminole Tribe decides to come back, Governor Ron DeSantis’s legislature better gets on the accordance first.