A Florida House Committee approved a bill on Monday that would allow thoroughbred racetracks to continue offering slots without live racing at the facility, decoupling its slots license from its racing and gaming licenses. Other slots operators in the state have already been decoupled, so the bill is primarily meaningful to Gulfstream Park.
The vote, 15-7 with four abstentions, allows House Bill 105 to progress through the Florida Legislature, now eligible for consideration by the entire Florida House.
It would allow Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach to operate its slot machines even without full-time racing (a season of at least 40 performances) ceases.
The current law, known as “Chapter 550,” also spells out similar restrictions regulating jai alai facilities in the state. However, Florida law currently allows jai alai facilities, as well as harness horse racing and quarter horse racing facilities, to decouple their slots licenses from their racing or game licenses.
Gulfstream Park, operated by the Aurora, Ontario-based The Stronach Group (doing business as 1/ST, pronounced “first”), boasts that its casino is open 365 days a year, offering its South Florida clientele “state-of-the-art slots and electronic table games amidst world-class thoroughbred horse racing, dining, and entertainment.”
What decoupling means for Florida racetracks
HB 105, if passed, would also allow Tampa Bay Downs in Oldsmar to operate its cardroom without live racing. According to its site:
“The Silks 25-table poker room at Tampa Bay Downs offers daily live action games, poker tournaments, and table games. These games include Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Three Card Poker, and DJ Wild. Amenities include plasma televisions, table-side massage, dining, and complimentary beverages in a comfortable smoke-free environment.”
If the bill goes through, Gulfstream and Tampa Bay Downs would join Calder Casino, Hialeah Park, and Pompano Park as the state’s notable decoupled horse tracks. Provided it progresses to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk and is signed into law there, those changes could go into effect by July 1.
While Sen. Daniel Burgess (R-Zephyrhills) has introduced a companion bill, Senate Bill 408, that bill has not yet been reviewed in committee.
According to WUSF, HB 105 sponsor Rep. Adam Anderson (R-Palm Harbor), maintains that the bill is designed to help the thoroughbred racing industry, and modifications to the bill made in committee “would effectively ensure racing at the tracks for at least five more years and allow racing licenses to be transferred to other sites in the state.”
However, Tod Wojciechowski, director of sales for Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co., testified that the bill could actually put Florida horse racing and thousands of related jobs at risk. He said:
“Our industry is not dying, but this bill could put us on life support.”
The National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (NHBPA) a national group of racing horse owners and trainers, earlier issued a press release expressing opposition to the decoupling bill.
