Are Miami Residents Ready for Slots?

They have seen the beginning results of legalizing slots as Broward County did so when they did not. They have seen the amount of money that slots have brought into their county, and they have seen the amount of money that has gone out of their county as residents cross county lines to play the slots. However, is all of that enough to convince Miami-Dade County voters that they want to legalize slots as well?

The fate of three pari-mutuels lies in the hands of the voters, as they have made it abundantly clear that if they don’t get slots that they will have to close their doors. They say that with the Broward County ones having the ability to offer slots to their customers that it is severely hampering their ability to compete with them.

However, other residents say that by allowing Miami to get slots they will be making simply a Florida version of Atlantic City and that is something they don’t want to happen. They have enough problems with the deal that the Governor is trying to bring in for the Seminoles, and don’t want to see any kind of slots or gambling expansion from there.

Even the politicians are concerned about the effect of bringing in more slots to the area might have on them. They say that with the pari-mutuels and the Indian casinos that would all have slots being located in South Florida, more people might see them as a gambling destination instead of somewhere to relax and enjoy the sun. They say that it becomes a question of whether or not these are the types of people that they want to attract to their neck of the woods, or if they will be just as happy leaving them elsewhere.


Back to January 2008 Archive.