The Seminole Tribe of Florida is running digital and broadcast ads thanking Florida residents for thwarting efforts by the Las Vegas Sands Corp., FanDuel and DraftKings to expand gambling in the state.
In just two weeks, the 30-second “Thank You, Florida” ad, running on Tallahassee TV and Florida digital platforms, racked up more than 1.2 million views.
Both efforts attempted to gather enough verified voter petition signatures for their proposals to appear on the November ballot. Las Vegas Sands had been gathering signatures through the Florida Voters in Charge committee for a voter referendum on a North Florida casino. The two sportsbook platforms, through the Florida Education Champions committee, sought a voter referendum to allow sportsbooks in addition to the Seminole Tribe’s. Both fell short of the required number of signatures.
Florida Voters in Charge, however, petitioned the Florida Supreme Court for additional petition processing time; the deadline was February 1. The group claims Florida law is unfairly vague and contradictory; Secretary of State Laurel Lee’s direction to Florida’s 67 county supervisors of elections was misleading; and those supervisors’ efforts were improper. At the same time, several law enforcement agencies are investigating fraud complaints against Florida Voters in Charge and its subcontractors.
Florida Voters in Charge spent $73 million through the end of January on its petition drive and litigation preparation. Florida Education Champions spent $36 million, and the Seminole Tribe’s political committee, Standing Up for Florida, spent $40 million trying to convince voters to not sign the petitions.
The Seminole Tribe’s “Thank You” message states, “For centuries, the Seminole Tribe has called Florida home. Today, they want to thank the people of Florida and all those who worked overtime to preserve the integrity of elections in our state. Despite spending over $100 million, the outside gaming petitions fell short, because the partnership between the tribe and Floridians is stronger than ever.”
There’s a cloud over the celebration, namely that a federal judge struck down the tribe’s 2021 gambling compact with the state in November. It would have allowed sports betting, new table games and potential new casinos, and the state would have received billions of dollars in additional revenue sharing.
The tribe is appealing that decision. So is the U.S. Department of the Interior, which approved the compact. In the meantime, the tribe and state reverted back to the 2010 gambling compact.
