Gov. Bush urged to veto expansion bill

David Royse

Friday, Aug. 1, 2003 | 9:37 a.m.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Antigambling and anti-dog racing groups are urging Gov. Jeb Bush to veto a measure they say would dramatically increase the stakes and hours at card rooms at dog and horse tracks.

The groups, ranging from the Christian Coalition to the Humane Society, say it would be the largest expansion of gambling in Florida since poker-playing rooms were allowed in 1996.

Bush, who has on several occasions said he's opposed to expanding gambling, said he's not necessarily convinced the measure would do that, but said Thursday he hasn't decided whether he'll sign the bill.

The group No Casinos sent Bush a letter Thursday arguing the bill "dramatically" increases hours and stakes in poker rooms at dog and horse tracks and jai alai frontons.

The measure (HB 1059), the group said, "would allow pari-mutuel facilities to turn their small stake card games into high stakes poker, by taking the maximum pot size from the current level of $10 to allowing pots as high as $200."

The bill eliminates the current $10 per game pot limit and replaces it with a $2 bet limit and a maximum of three raises per round. But the number of rounds isn't limited and Senate staff estimated that players could win as much as $200 under the measure.

Bush, however, said he wasn't that concerned about the elimination of the pot limit because of the bet limit.

"It's really kind of a wash as it relates to the expansion of gambling," Bush said. "These card rooms already exist and I'm not sure that that would be a good enough reason to veto it if it was exclusively that.

"But there are other provisions of the bill that we're looking at and I haven't made up my mind yet," Bush said.

Administration officials say some of those other provisions that concern the governor relate to the hours that card rooms could operate, and other provisions dealing with tracks' partnerships and permit sharing arrangements with each other.

The measure passed the House 104-10 and the Senate 27-11 on the final day of the regular legislative session. It was one of the last bills passed.

One of the measure's co-sponsors disputed that the bill would open the door to major poker games.

"This is more of a social opportunity for people, mainly our senior citizens," Rep. Roger Wishner, D-Sunrise, said.

Ron Book, a lobbyist for horse and dog tracks, said the tracks pay taxes that help fund schools and that they're endangered by casinos at Indian reservations and on boats that cruise out in the ocean specifically for gambling.

"It's easy to bang on gambling ... but between the Indians and the gambling boats you've got so much expansion of gaming you can't even begin to write the book on it," Book said. "The bill merely begins to broach leveling the playing field with what goes on the Indian reservations and the gambling boats."

Opponents of the bill say another provision of the measure may allow for card rooms to operate independently of tracks. The measure says card rooms can only be operated at the track "or as otherwise authorized by law."

"The question is what does that mean?" said Carey Theil, a spokesman for GREY2K USA, which opposes greyhound racing and is also urging the governor to veto the bill. The anti-greyhound racing group argues the measure keeps the tracks in business.

"Legalizing high-stakes poker ... would serve to prop up the Florida dog racing industry, thereby perpetuating an industry that is cruel and inhumane," the group said in a letter to Bush that was also signed by representatives of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society.

Bush's office said the governor had received mass-mailings urging a veto of the bill but only "a handful" of other messages against the bill that didn't appear to be part of an organized campaign.