From Naples News
Florida doesn’t need international casino operators building $2 billion waterfront entertainment meccas in Southeast Florida or a Native American group opening venues along the Interstate 10 corridor to be considered a “major gambling state.”
With Indian casinos, pari-mutuel facilities, day-cruise and cruise vessels and one of the largest state lotteries, Florida already is one of the nation’s top spots for gamblers.
But a 307-page state-commissioned study released this week also showed that while the opportunity to play games of chance has grown, the money spent at casinos and card rooms hasn’t resulted in vast job creation outside the industry. The state released a draft of the first part of a study by the New Jersey-based Spectrum Gaming Group on the present and future of gaming in the Sunshine State.
The study declares that Florida — despite opposition to the growth of gambling by powerful players such as Walt Disney World and the Florida Chamber of Commerce — is already “a major gambling state, with a wide array of options.”
More important, the gaming industry is going to grow, with state regulation or haphazardly without it.
“Intentionally or not, the policies established by lawmakers — or the lack thereof — play a critical role in the evolution and expansion of gaming,” Spectrum stated. “Indeed, in the views of many, the ‘evolution’ and ‘expansion’ of gaming are largely synonymous. The industry rarely shrinks, and quite often, expands as a result of expansion.”
