The Florida state’s legislative session has just weeks remaining, and there are further plans to increase the state’s gambling revenue. There is currently a $3 billion budget deficit, and some legislators believe that this could be rectified by some relaxation of the state gambling laws, freeing up revenue that could be used for education.
Economists believe that the proposed changes to gambling laws could produce somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion in additional state revenue.
Poker could see some of the biggest changes. Currently, the maximum cash games buy-in is $100, and the maximum bet in limit games is $5. Tournament buy-ins are capped in the range of hundreds of dollars.
The Senate bill proposes to remove these caps to allow for high-stakes gaming.
The chamber is also considering allowing the Seminole tribe to offer a number of other games, including roulette and craps. The tribe currently operates seven casinos in the state, making it the largest tribe authorized to conduct gaming operations in Florida.
The Florida House disagrees with the Senate bill. Democratic State Senator Steve Geller said “There is absolutely no chance, whatsoever, that the Senate bill will pass” when questioned as to how he thought the House would respond.
The House have always been hesitant to expand gaming, however they do have their own gaming bill which would itself raise buy-ins for cash games to $1,000, and limit bets to $50. This proposal is milder than the Senate’s but still represents progress for gambling fans.
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