Disney Is against Integrated Casinos
If some Florida legislators have their way, the state constitution will be changed in order to give voters and not legislators the sole authority to change gambling laws. Under the new amendment, the Florida Congress would be bound from ever expanding gaming activities in the state again–the voters would have to approve any changes.
The proposal is still in the committee stage, so it is still uncertain whether such a law has a chance of passing. The Florida Constitution requires a 60% vote among the electorate to pass a new amendment, if the bill passed the legislature. Though the bar for constitutional change is higher than it would be for a law which could be revoked more easily, if an amendment were passed, then votes allowing more (or less) gambling would require a 60% vote, as well.
Arguments in Committee Hearings
The proposed changes have been controversial, as politicians on both sides of the aisle engaged in heated debate during an open session of the House Gaming Committee.
Democrat Jim Waldman of Broward and Republican Matt Gaetz of Okaloosa County had a heated exchange during a recent House Gaming Committee session. Jim Waldman asked the rhetorical question: “You would like to tie the hands of future legislators as to what they can do, but allow us to do what we want do?”
Matt Gaetz replied, “I don’t know that the Legislature has a really good track record on gaming issues, Representative Waldman, I don’t know that it’s a record to be particularly proud of.”
Gaming Proponents Seek Integrated Casinos
Such a move would seem to bind the hands of gambling proponents, who currently want to increase the presence of gambling in the state by allowing “integrated casinos” to operate in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. Pro-gambling politicians believe the integrated casinos, which would include hotels, shopping areas, and a convetion center, would bring thousands of new jobs, a new influx of tourism, and tax revenues through gaming profits.
Opponents of increased gambling argue that casino jobs would not constitute real job growth, but would cannibalize old jobs in the tourism and gambling industry in order to create new ones elsewhere in the state. Some interests, such as the Disney Corporation, believe integrated casinos would hurt the family-friendly image of Florida tourism.
March Madness Gambling Surge Expected
While building new gaming venues appears to be causing a major debate over the future of gambling in the Sunshine State, certain types of betting appear to be accepted throughout the USA (with a few exceptions). One of the biggest gambling surges of the year is just around the corner, as NCAA March Madness occurs in the second half of March (and the first week of April).
Much of the gambling takes place in office pools, where employees ranging from executives to cubicle workers fill out their brackets and put their $20 into the office pool. More serious gamblers prefer to bet each game, as March Madness offers a chance for major upsets which smart college basketball viewers might be able to predict.
Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket
They say it’s better to be lucky than good and that term has never applied better than it does to the “Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket”. This year, a special March Madness is being offered by Warren Buffett and his friends at Berkshire Hathaway are offering $1 billion to anyone who can fill out a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket. You probably know that Warren Buffett is the 3rd richest man in the world and the most successful investor of the 20th century. Despite giving away some $20 billion to Bill Gates’s charity, Buffett is worth some $53 billion himself.
That is $1,000,000,000 which are being offered. Warren Buffett is working with Dan Gilbert of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans to arrange the “Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket“. Fill out the correct winner in the final 63 games of March Madness and you win a billion dollars. The odds of winning that bet are 1 in 4,294,967,296, though that’s still much better odds than hitting all 20 numbers in keno.
Even if you do not win the big prize, the top 20 “imperfect” brackets will win $100,000. This is one NCAA Tournament bracket which is worth filling out.
