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Proposed rules for Broward slots called 'huge gift to Indian casinos'(South Florida Sun-Sentinel (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Mar. 15--The state's first draft of regulations for slot machines is in, and it doesn't look good for the county's four pari-mutuels. There would be no ATMs inside halls where slot machines chime. Owners would not be allowed to give freebies to entice gamblers. Poker tables would have to be removed. "This whole deal stinks," said Gil Norris, 62, an occasional poker player who was on his way into Pompano Park to bet on a few horses Tuesday. "The voters here voted for this. ... I don't understand it." Nor do the pari-mutuels in Broward County, which won the right to operate slot machines in a 2004 statewide vote. They've been waiting for the Legislature to write and pass regulations so they know what kind of gaming houses they can build. Marc Dunbar, attorney for Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, said a proposed rule requiring slot machine operators to give up their card room licenses would put them at "a massive disadvantage" because Indian casinos face no such restrictions. He said the rule was bad for business and consumers who want as many gambling options as possible under one roof, the grand vision behind several new multimillion-dollar gambling venues being planned. "This would be a huge gift to the Indian casinos," said Dunbar, one of about 60 people at a public workshop at Hollywood City Hall on Tuesday to comment on the proposed rules. "We've been jousting with [the state] on this for a while now privately. I have a feeling it will be decided by a judge sometime in the future." Joseph Helton, chief attorney for the Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, said the rule stems from state law that says: "No person licensed to operate a card room may conduct any banking game or any game not specifically authorized by this section." "It's a plain reading," Helton said. "I've heard people say they don't like it, but I haven't heard a legal standpoint" against it. Dan Adkins, vice president of Hollywood Greyhound, said that if such an interpretation were correct, than jai-alai venues wouldn't have card tables. "The way you are interpreting this, you couldn't play Monopoly," Adkins said. Local pari-mutuels tried to poke holes in another proposal to keep slot machine patrons from electronically wiring money in and out of casinos. David Roberts, director for the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, said state law already prohibits ATMs in such places, and authorities now propose nixing all electronic transactions to guard against money laundering. Operators said it would be a security disaster, forcing gamblers to walk in and out with large amount of money -- and big bulls-eyes on their backs. "If someone hits a jackpot, why wouldn't it make sense for them to be able to transfer that electronically?" Dunbar said. Another sticking point: A ban on "comps," free items that casinos give to gamblers -- something as simple as a T-shirt or as flamboyant as a new car -- to entice them into betting more often. State officials said casinos have used comps to make their revenue appear to be smaller and evade taxes. Robert Norton, vice president of gaming operations for Isle of Capri, which owns the harness track in Pompano Beach, argued that comps are allowed across the United States and are necessary to reward loyal players. A public workshop on the proposed rules continues today, from 9 a.m. until noon, at Hollywood City Hall. A formal hearing on the rules will not be set for at least a month after that. After that hearing, formal objections can be filed, and an administrative judge will rule on areas of legal disagreement. By Jamie Malernee and Jean-Paul Renaud |