Confusion Continues Regarding Gaming 

There are many that are wondering just what was approved when Florida lawmakers decided to bring in slot machines to the Miami Dade area. These lawmakers passed a bill that said that slot machines could come into pari-mutual facilities, but there is a lack of specificity in the bill that is making it difficult for the law to be enforced and carried out. The First District Court of Appeals says that the law is “unclear” and that is why they cannot get a strict ruling on it. This is where it has been sitting. 

The law says that slot machines can only be at the seven pari-mutual facilities that are located in both Miami Dade and Broward Counties. But there are those that say that it does not limit it to them, and that if the legislature wants to they can allow more slot machines to come in to other areas of the state. There are currently seven tracks that have the slot machines but Hialeah Park now wants to add them in as well, and the other tracks are arguing that they did not have live racing in the years from 2003 to 2004 so they cannot have the games as well. 

However, the case has gone to the courts because according to Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero the law is “unambiguous” and does not “prohibit the legislature” from basically giving slot machines to anyone they want. But this leaves the rest of the state to start getting them as well, which does not sit well with residents of other counties as they say that they do not want the games, and they do not want this case to open the door for that to happen.