Florida Governor, Charlie Crist, passed a proposal for a high stakes gaming bill to become a law by not signing it. The new law, which will permit state license wagering facilities to offer no limit Texas Hold'em poker games and increase their limit on other casino table games, will take effect on Sunday, July 1, 2007.
According to the estimates made for the Senate Finance and Taxation Committee, additional profits for the state are estimated at $2.1 million.
Senate Democratic Leader, Steven Geller from Cooper City, commented that he is not a gambling enthusiast, but he realizes what the gambling law could bring to the pari-mutuel establishments and tourism in the state.
Josh Zuckerman, the Director of Poker Operations of St. Johns Greyhound Park, which is located on the St, Johns' county line, said that he is very happy with the possibilities that the gambling law could bring.
Zuckerman said that they are currently in the process of hiring 20 new casino table game dealers to meet the additional customer demands.
The gambling law will also allow the maximum bet for no limit Hold'em poker to be $100. The state licensed poker rooms, the first modification in the state's gaming laws since 2003, were introduced in 1996.
In the past, poker players have said that the small limits bother them have handicapped their ability to use their techniques in the game.
State Senator Mike Fasano, a Republican from New Jersey and the co-author of the gambling bill, said that the change in the gambling bill does not signal a major change of his gambling policy, saying that he is all right with the gambling expansion as long as it is held in the pari-mutuel establishments.
Senator Stephen Wise, a Republican from Jacksonville, is one of the senators who voted against the gambling bill stating that it sends a wrong message to young people.
07/09/2007 22:25 PM