Page 8 - Gary Bitner News Today

A federal judge rules the Seminole gaming compact violates Indian gaming laws.

After nailing down a deal that gave it control over sports betting in the state, the Seminole Tribe is trying to clinch its status as Florida’s “800-pound” gambling gorilla by squashing two proposed constitutional amendments backed by potential competitors.

Dealing a win to Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Seminole Tribe, a federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit challenging a gambling agreement that allows the tribe to have control over sports betting in Florida.

There are other federal lawsuits still pending.

Owners of two pari-mutuel facilities contended that allowing people to place sports bets while off tribal property violated federal laws.

Here's your AM rundown of people, politics and policy in the Sunshine State.

South Floridians take part in clinical trial for Pfizer vaccine booster shot Updated:  Clinical trials underway in South Florida for COVID-19 booster shot HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A clinical trial is underway for a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. Local 10 News first spoke to Gary Bitner back in August of 2020. That’s when he volunteered for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine trial. “It was like somebody flipped the switch and all of a sudden I was safe to do anything I wanted, I thought,” Bitner said...

Las Vegas Sands wants more casinos in North Florida The gambling giant is backing ballot initiatives that would ask voters to approve as many as three new casinos in the Sunshine State.     The Las Vegas Sands casino sits behind the Fisherman’s Wharf in Macau, which had $45 billion in casino earnings in 2013. Macau earned $38 billion with 35 casinos in 2012, passing the United States, where 12,000 casinos took in $37.3 billion in ’12. Published 1 hour ago TALLAHASSEE — A politica...

Share this article Share this article TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. issued the following statement on behalf of the 4,300 members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida regarding todays ratification of the Gaming Compact by the Florida Legislature: "Today, all the people of Florida are winners, thanks to legislative approval of the Gaming Compact between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.  It is a histori...

Lawmakers may snap the ball, but will the courts yank it away before DeSantis can kick it? While it may be tempting to write-off Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‘s foray into a Gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe as another attempt by Charlie Brown to kick the football before Lucy pulls it away from him, he may actually get a solid foot on the ball. Then again, some legal experts think he’s about to take a spill. If DeSantis gets help from lawmakers and the court, the 2021 Gaming Compact wi...