Blaise Ingoglia bill could open gambling options in the state

Sen. Blaise Ingoglia is betting big on a new gaming bill that could see new major venues open casinos, regardless of local government opposition.

The legislation (SB 1054) would allow existing gaming permit holders to move operations to a different location within 30 miles. And the legislation would allow those permit holders to ignore any local regulations barring such a transfer.

One primary beneficiary from the legislation would be billionaire Jeffrey Soffer, who owns the Big Easy Casino in Hallandale Beach. Soffer’s family also owns the iconic Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach and has pushed for legislation allowing a casino to open there.

Ingoglia’s bill would allow Soffer to make such a move. The legislation does restrict new gaming options in a way, saying a permit cannot be moved to a location within 15 minutes of Seminole Tribe of Florida-operated casinos in Hollywood. The Seminole Tribe of Florida recently agreed to a new Gaming Compact with the state, which is fully coming online now after a slate of legal challenges.

The Fontainebleau Hotel, however, is outside that 15-mile radius from the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s nearby Hollywood casino.

The city of Miami has opposed such a move, however. “It’s an existential threat to our community,” said former Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber in comments to the Miami Herald.

“If the Legislature goes along with (the bill) and the courts fail to do their job, there’s no way this will simply be a single casino,” Gelber said.

Gelber is referencing a 2018 constitutional amendment, where Florida voters approved a measure requiring any gaming expansions to be approved by the voters via ballot referendum unless that expansion only deals with gaming “on tribal lands.”

That same provision has led to a state-level lawsuit against the Gaming Compact between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the state, as that agreement allows for mobile sports betting. But the Seminole Tribe of Florida has said a referendum was unnecessary, as the servers hosting those bets are on tribal lands.

However, Gelber and other opponents to new casinos would argue that Ingoglia’s proposal would need to be approved by voters. Even so, many other anti-gaming advocates would likely oppose the bill’s efforts to override any local regulations that ban gaming expansion.

So far, no House lawmaker has filed a companion to Ingoglia’s bill, which the Senator filed on Thursday. The 2024 Legislative Session begins on Jan. 9.