- Florida lawmakers proposed a bill that would implement harsher penalties on illegal slot machines and other illegal gambling operations in the state.
- House Bill 189 advanced, 13-4, through the Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Wednesday.
- The bill also authorizes daily fantasy sports operations and focuses on “amusement games” at veteran organizations.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida lawmakers want harsher penalties for illegal gambling in the state, focusing specifically on illegal slot machines at illegal gambling operations and veterans’ organizations. The bill also looks to authorize fantasy sports contests, which are often confused with legal sports betting since Florida doesn’t have firm laws regarding these contests.
The bill, House Bill 189, provides a definition for “fantasy sports contest”, and provides requirements to be deemed a fantasy sports contest, like pre-disclosed payout structures and definitions of a winning outcome. It also lays out what cannot be present to be considered a fantasy sports contest, which are laid out below.
- No point spread, score, or performance of a team or combination of teams
- Single performance of an individual in a single event
- Poker game or other card game
- Performance of athletes in college, high school, or youth events
This portion of the bill aims to establish the difference between FL sportsbook apps and Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) apps that controversially operate in Florida. As for the illegal slot machines crackdown, House Bill 189 aims to turn illegal operations into felony crimes.
Instead of just issuing misdemeanors for illegal slot machines, House Bill 189 possessing a large number of illegal slot machines would be a first-degree felony and receive fines that can reach $500,000.
Bill Allows Certain Veteran Organizations To Have Machines
Certain veterans’ organizations can petition to the Florida Gaming Commission under HB 189 for a declaratory statement on whether a machine can be defined as an “amusement machine” under state law. The idea is that if not-for-profit halls, like VFW Halls, are exempt, it will be easier to enforce against true illegal gambling operations.
“What we’re trying to do here with our veterans is give them an outlet. A lot of them have slot machines in their locations. And they are just not legal,” Trabulsy said in Wednesday’s hearing. “They’re not. So this is giving an avenue for them to be able to go to the commission and ask for a declaratory statement, whether it is a legal amusement machine for their facility or not. They’re still not going to be allowed to use an illegal slot machine. But the declaratory statement will actually let them know if what they are using is considered an amusement machine and not gambling.”
The declaratory statement is significant because House Bill 189 would make the possession of an illegal slot machine a second-degree felony. The bill still has a long way to go, but if it passes, it will greatly change the way that illegal gambling operations are prosecuted in the Sunshine State.
