Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Bigsmc
Crist. He wants to sign a pact with the Seminoles that the legislature is not approving. The Seminoles are offering the State a large chunk of money and in return want gaming exclusivity.
Crist is being shortsighted on the deal. If they opened up the gaming to all of the state's parimutuel facilities and taxed those facilities accordingly, they will make the money that the Seminoles are offering and then some. Crist seems to be taking the bird in the hand approach which makes sense for him, he won't be Governor forever so why should he be thinking long term?
The Seminoles have a gold mine with their Hard Rock Casinos in Florida and desperately want to keep gaming away from other entities.
|
Crist is being shortsighted if and only if the Legislature is willing to tell the Bible-beaters, Disney and the cruise ship tax evaders to piss off (finally) and allow more wide open gaming. IF they were to do that (and there have finally been some rumbles about allowing "local option" on open gaming), THEN the Crist deal is truly bad. Otherwise it is a much closer call.
The problems in this state regarding gaming are entirely self-inflcited--blaming the Seminoles, or the Feds, or anybody is a complete dodge. Florida has to come out of the Stone Age on gaming, or it deserves its fate.