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On Monday, February 24th the Florida Senate Gaming Committee released their anticipated gaming reform bill.
After hiring a consulting firm to review Florida’s gaming industry last year and taking feedback from the public, the Senate Gaming Committee put together a bill that attempts to reform and update Florida’s gaming industry.
A Florida Gaming License covers all forms of gambling including: Casino, eSports, Poker, Sports Betting, Lotto, Bingo, Horseracing, Bitcoin Casino, Fantasy Sports, Games of Skill and other gaming-related activities without being required to obtain one license for each individual product. 23rd March 2017 Florida, US; A bill that attempts to lock Florida’s gaming footprint in place for 20 years and freeze any casino expansion passed a key House committee along a party line vote Tuesday. This leaves the Legislature miles apart over how to resolve the lucrative gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe.
The reform bill
At over 450 pages, Senate Proposed Bill 7052 aims at making comprehensive changes to Florida’s gaming landscape.
Some of the potential changes included in the bill are:
- The creation of a gaming control board;
- Increased authority, control, and enforcement over gaming by the regulatory agency;
- Authorizing the governor to renegotiate the gaming compact with the Seminoles;
- Consolidating all forms of gaming other than the lottery into a single statutory chapter;
- Authorizing the possibility of 2 destination casinos in Miami-Dade and Broward County; and
- Reduced requirements for operating a poker room.
Online poker is not included in the bill
The Senate Gaming Committee did not specifically include anything about online poker in the bill. There were, however, several changes to criminal laws related to online wagering.
Language was added to existing criminal gambling sections to expressly prohibit the operation of an online wagering business and to prohibit the electronic transmission of information for gambling purposes.
![Bill Bill](https://www.gamesbras.com/u/fotografias/m/2017/3/31/f960x0-1566_1584_0.jpg)
This language was likely included to prohibit other forms of online wagering, like Advance Deposit Wagering, but could also be applied to online poker. Playing video poker tips.
So you’re telling me there’s a chance?
Although SPB 7052 ignores online poker it may not be the last chance at gaming reform this year. 100 pyramid game. There are a few ways that online poker may still happen.
![Bill Bill](https://www.casino.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/512x.jpg)
The bill is still in a very early stage and is, as the name implies, a proposed bill. The Gaming Committee will meet again to discuss the bill and likely amend it before formally presenting the bill to committee or to the rest of the legislature.
It also may be possible that a separate online poker bill is introduced.
There have been several online poker bills introduced in the last few years and it’s possible another online poker bill gets introduced this year.
Florida Gambling Bill
Several of the senators on the Gaming Committee discussed online poker during the public hearings and were responsible for past attempts at legalized online poker.
Huge bills, like SPB 7052, are very difficult to pass because of their broad scope. It may be more likely that a smaller, more specific bill, like an online poker bill, would have a better chance at passage.
With the legislative session beginning next week and going until May there is still a lot of time for things to happen. Gaming term rng.
Regulated online poker, although unlikely, may still be up for legalization this year.
Florida Gambling Bill News
OPR Staff - Various members of the OnlinePokerReport.com staff contributed to this article. Follow @OPRupdate on Twitter and like OPR on Facebook to get the complete feed of articles from OPR.