Existing gaming operators in the state of Florida have let it be known that they will take to the courts in order to fight the recent issuing of gaming licenses in the state

.

A report by The Miami Herald has cited lawyer/lobbyist Gary Rutledge as saying that several current permit holders will be filing a lawsuit over the issue "in due course."

The article also quoted Rutledge as saying that the Florida gaming landscape, in regard to the recent issuing of licenses, has turned into "...the Wild West — at a level I have never seen.”

Critics are panning the fact that the administration of Governor Rick Scott has issued a jai-alai permit in Miami and a pari-mutuel barrel racing permit in the northern Florida town of Gretna. Opponents to the moves are saying that the applications are being allowed through a loophole in a 1980s gambling law.

Opponents to the recent licensings are saying that the gaming operators which are moving in are ultimately trying to operate poker rooms.

(With files from The Miami Herald)

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