As Tuesday drew to a close the Florida Senate voted to pass the new deal with the state and the Seminole Tribe that will see the tribe pay $2.5 billion to state coffers over 5 years.
However the new gaming expansion deal (known as the compact) will see the tribe allowed to build three new casinos and best of all in the deal be the sole exclusive operator of sports betting in Florida.
Indeed only one Senator voted against the new compact and now the House is expected to rubber stamp the deal which is the biggest ever gambling expansion in Florida which is the third largest state by population in the US and the largest state to join the online sports betting industry in the US.
The House is expected to sign off on the deal Wednesday 19th May which has been agreed by governor Ron DeSantis and Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr.
Senate President Wilton Simpson who is a supporter of the compact said to reporters: “A compact is very, very tough,” he went on to say, “state and tribal leaders have worked on reaching a deal for several years. “It is extremely difficult, because there are so many different competing interests. And if there are 50 competing interests, there are at least then probably a million ways to put those pieces of the puzzle together. So we’re very pleased that we were able to get it passed today.”
The only part of the original deal that has been removed is the possibility for the tribe to discuss with state leaders within five years to expand the online offering to casino games, this caused a major sticking point and so it was agreed by all parties this will now not happen.
Although the deal is approved and expected to be rubber stamped by the House it is expected their will be multiple legal challenges to the new compact.