In the United States, gambling is only legal in certain states. And in some states, the restrictions are even more severe, and the gambling may only be legal in certain cities. One exception to this rule is land which is owned by Native American Tribes. This is because their land is owned by them, and the US government regulations don’t apply. This means that Native Americans can make gambling legal wherever they want on their land.
Typically, this is a good thing for the tribe, as it provides a steady income of money and provides the locals with jobs. But in some areas, there are people who argue that legal gambling on tribal owned lands only invites trouble. And this has caused lots of friction over the years. And things are about to change in the state of Florida.
Florida’s Recent Announcement
Amongst this debate which has been going on for decades, on April 23rd, 2021, Florida made an announcement which may change the course of gambling history in the state. The Seminole Tribe currently owns and operates all of the gambling establishments in the state. And they have come to an agreement with the governor that sports betting will now be legal in all of their casinos.
And not only that, but the tribe has also made agreements with a number of horse and dog racing tracks so that the establishments will accept bets on behalf of the casinos. This will widely expand patrons betting options at these events.
Transformation For Casinos In Florida
Under current regulations, casinos on the Seminole Tribe lands in Florida can offer slot machines, some table games such as poker, bridge, and mahjong in their establishments. They can also offer horse and dog racing bets, but the sports betting ends there. This new regulation not only expands the sports which patrons may bet on, but it also stipulates that the casinos can introduce roulette and craps tables to their gaming floors.
This is great news for the tribe, as the introduction of these new table games and expanded sportsbook will add just over 2,000 jobs to the Florida job market. And not only that, but the government will win as well, as the tribe has pledged to give the government at least $2.5 billion over the first five years of the operation of these table games. And they have guaranteed to give the government at least $6 billion by 2030.
Why Is This Such a Big Deal?
Prior to 2018, there was a nationwide ban on sports betting, making it only legal in the state of Nevada. This was great for the state, as it meant people would fly in all over the country to place sports bets. But this was bad for a lot of people, as it meant that sports betting was typically reserved for those who could afford to fly to the city of Las Vegas to bet. Florida is simply the latest in a long line of states to legalize sports betting since the ban was lifted by the Supreme Court.
One of the reasons sports betting is becoming so important to casinos is because the millennial generation is now all of gambling age, and they seem less interested in traditional gambling. Instead of sitting for hours in front of slot machines like previous generations, millennials prefer experience gambling in the form of poker, or better yet sports betting. This is because when someone places a bet on sports, they then watch an entire two-hour game, and feel as if their money is more well spent than on a single pull at a slot machine. This means that in order to keep making the money they’ve been making for decades, casinos now have to rush to get their state to allow sports betting. And the timing now is more critical than ever before, as since COVID-19 casinos become increasingly empty as the baby boomers die off.
Historically, changes like the one in Florida, serve to increase tourism to the casinos as different types of games and bets become available. And while this will probably bring lots of Floridians to the South Florida Seminole owned casinos, this may be bad news for Las Vegas.
The Decline Of Las Vegas
The city of Las Vegas has been known for years as a place of luxurious fun for adults. And until the COVID 2020 pandemic, this was absolutely true. But in the months since, the Las Vegas strip has experienced a massive increase in crime. This crime has become so serious that often times casinos require patrons to pass metal detectors before entering. And this does nothing to deter the shootings which happen out on Las Vegas Boulevard on a frequent basis.
Many people attribute this crime to the changing clientele of Las Vegas, which conveniently shifted right when the Raiders football team came to the city. While no one wants to say it, the Raiders have long been associated with gang violence in every single city they’ve been stationed in, from LA to Oakland and now Las Vegas.
Add this to the fact that many casinos across the nation are now gaining the rights to take bets which were formerly reserved only for Vegas, and you can see that the city might be in the first throes of decline. And the state realizes this too, as recently a senator set out to create a bill that would limit esports gambling in the US to Nevada only. Of course there’s no telling if this bill will pass or not, but you can clearly see it is a feeble attempt by a dying state to gain legislative footing which it took for granted for years.
There’s no reason to panic just yet. The city of Las Vegas is still there. But the decline in gambling within the states borders certainly has officials and locals alike worried.
Overall, this new announcement by Florida may not change much, after all, who even knew that sports betting wasn’t legal in Florida in the first place? But either way, small changes such as this one tend to have much larger implications in the long run. And it will be interesting to see the retaliations which could occur in a city with everything to lose like Las Vegas.
This article was brought to you by the 100% Provably Fair Bitcoin Gambling on MintDice. Originally posted on the MintDice.com Blog.
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