Florida Chamber Gives Casino Advocates a Slim Chance

Florida Chamber President Mark Wilson reaffirmed the business organizations opposition to legislation that would allow expanded casino gambling in South Florida.

However, he said, during a media conference in the Capitol Thursday on the priorities of the chamber in the upcoming session, the group is willing to take a second look at the casinos if advocates are able to show the proposed megacasinos would reduce rather than expand gambling.

All of the research that weve seen suggests that when you move commercial casino gambling into an already established tourism market like Miami, nothing good happens, Wilson said. In fact, what happens is, you end up taking dollars that are going into one part of the economy and moving them into another part of the economy.

Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, and Senate sponsor Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, may file identical bills today or Friday that would allow for three massive resort casinos to open beyond the Florida Seminole land in South Florida.

The bills are also expected to establish an independent gambling commission that would oversee most aspects of gaming in state.The Florida lottery would not be under the commission.