Committee Action Kills Casino Bill in House for 2012 Session

(Tallahassee) – The Florida House Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee today voted to table a controversial proposal to expand gambling in Florida by introducing high-stakes Vegas-style casinos to the state. The action today kills the proposal in the House because there are no more scheduled meetings of this committee for the 2012 Session.

“The fact that this bill was killed in the House is a victory for the people of Florida, for our economy, our quality of life, our public safety, and the character of our communities,” said No Casinos President John Sowinski. “We applaud the House members for looking beyond the promises and the hype, weighing the social and economic costs of expanding gambling, and reaching the only logical conclusion – that expanding gambling would be bad for Florida.”

South Florida No Casinos Chairman Dan Gelber said, “Failing to get out of its first committee is a stunning but well-deserved defeat proving sometimes that money can’t buy you love”. Gelber added, “I suspect these casino interests won’t give up and expect them to reload with more money and bigger guns. We’ll be ready”.

No Casinos leaders vowed to remain vigilant, saying that while the subcommittee vote is likely a fatal blow to the idea during this year’s legislative session – gambling interests will likely continue to target Florida so long as the economy is weak.

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Contact:

John Sowinski (407) 608-5931 Sowinski@onmessage.com

Dan Gelber (305) 345-7879 dan@dangelber.com