As Florida lawmakers attempt to negotiate a new multi-billion dollar gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, legislators have introduced several gaming-related bills, addressing fantasy sports, charitable poker and greyhound racing.
State Senator Dana Young has introduced Senate Bill 592, to establish a regulatory framework for fantasy sports play in Florida. Young’s measure is similar to a failed bill introduced state Senator Joe Negron introduced last year. Young’s proposal reads, “This act is designed to strictly regulate the operators of fantasy contests and individuals who participate in such contests and to adopt consumer protections related to fantasy contests.”
The legislation would establish an Office of Amusements within the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Operators would be required to register with the state and pay an initial registration fee of $500,000, plus assure players are at least 18 years old and employees do not benefit from insider information.
Legislators and others have expressed concern that Young’s bill defines
daily fantasy sports as games of skill, not games of chance. They claim if daily fantasy sports are considered games of skill, the odds would favor a small minority over other players. The cite a November 2015 report by the advocacy group Stop Predatory Gambling, which stated, “A recent analysis of daily fantasy sports winners and losers concluded that the majority of customers lack the skill to ever have success and thus are relying largely on chance to recoup some of their investment.” the report stated.
In the House, state Rep. Elizabeth Porter introduced HB 799, which would allow charitable, nonprofit and veterans’ organization to host poker tournaments with a buy-in of $200 or less. The requires at least 40 percent but no more than 80 percent of the prize pool must be paid to players; as a result, the group must keep at least 20 percent. Also, any individual involved in conducting a poker tournament must “be a resident of the community in which the charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization is located,” as well as “a bona fide member of such organization” and “may not be compensated in any way.”
Among other provisions, an organization may not refuse a poker player “on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, handicap or marital status.”
Young also has sponsored Senate Bill 512 and state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and state Rep. Alexandra Miller had sponsored House Bill 743, similar bills that would strengthen dog racing regulation and ban the use of anabolic steroids on greyhound racing dogs. Young’s bill recently was referred to the Senate Committees on Regulated Industries, Rules and Appropriations.
The lawmakers claim in order to minimize lost race days, female racing greyhounds routinely receive injections of anabolic steroids, or testosterone, to push their bodies beyond natural limits. Smith said, “We know they are using steroids. They are doping greyhounds. It’s inhumane.”
Smith said of the 19 racetracks in the U.S., 12 are in Florida. “Most track owners don’t want to race greyhounds anymore. The only reason they are doing it is because they are required to by law in order to run their card tables,” Smith said. He said this year lawmakers may succeed in decoupling greyhound racing from other forms of gambling at racetracks, in particular card games.
