On Thursday, March 30 in Florida, decoupling legislation Senate Bill 8 was advanced via a vote of 32-6. The bill would allow slot machines to be introduced to existing pari-mutuel locations, and would also allow some locations to continue to offer slots gaming while dropping its pari-mutuel offerings.
News of the advancement of the legislation comes via an article by The Paulick Report.
The piece states that the facilities that would be able to drop their pari-mutuel offerings and still retain slots gaming would have to ‘contribute annually toward a pool of purse money and breeder awards for horse racing.’
The report also explains that the Commerce Committee has advanced House Bill 7037, which would not allow pari-mutuel permit holders to decouple.
The movement on the two bills could lead to some form of a legislative compromise going forward, but nothing is guaranteed.
(With files from The Paulick Report)