The Florida Supreme Court will examine the proposal of a constitutional amendment that would allow for the construction of casinos in North Florida, following a request by Attorney General Ashley Moody.
This initiative would allow Florida residents to choose whether pari-mutuel operators in the region could add casino games to their platforms, an offering which is currently exclusive to tribal operators.
As per reports by Fox35, the legislation, which requires 891,589 signatures to appear on the November 2022 ballot, reached the 222,898 signatures required for judicial review on December 10 and is currently racing to meet its deadline.
The initiative is led by a committee named the Florida Voters in Charge, who hope the proposal will reach the required signatures by the February 1 deadline. Currently, the proposal stands at 425,523 valid signatures, as reported by the state Division of Elections website.
Plans to legalize the development of casinos have been spearheaded by the operator Las Vegas Sands, which has lobbied extensively for the decision, donating over $27m to the committee.
However, Florida’s leading gaming company, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, has voiced disapproval regarding any plans to alter casino development laws.
For a number of months the Seminole Tribe has been embroiled in a legal case with the Florida government over a separate matter. Specifically, the tribe has been accused of circumventing state law regarding the operation of online sportsbooks.
