Florida Loosens Poker Gambling Laws
The maximum betting limits at a poker table in the state of Florida has been $2, with players being able to raise three times in a given playing round, but that will soon all change as a bill has passed through both the Senate and the House, leaving only the Governor, Charlie Crist to veto the bill.
It is not expected that the Governor would take the veto action, which would mean the new law would go into affect the first day of July, 2007.
The new law seems to coincide with a progressive movement being made in the state towards building a mecca for gamblers, much like in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Many believe this law is just the next step toward the ultimate goal of having complete gambling freedom, with full access to table games such as craps, blackjack, and roulette, which are currently still illegal in the state.
The ongoing negotiations between Crist and the Seminole Indians must come to a close before a lawsuit already filed reaches Federal court. The pressure is on Crist to come to an agreement allowing the Seminoles to run the same Vegas style slots that are now found in the state’s other casinos, however, the key to that deal getting done could hinge on Crist allowing the Seminoles to also provide table games.
For Crist, he is in favor of using Gambling money for the state’s school system, and might give in to the Seminoles if they agree to be taxed on their operation, something right now that does not happen.
This latest law will have current casinos scrambling to provide table games with these new maximum limits at their poker tables. The most likely scenario is having many $1-$2 no limit tables, in addition to $5 buy in and $5 betting max limit games. Although that does not sound like much, a player could conceivably have $20 around in per round per hand, which means players could be in for $65 a hand(including their buy-in).
With some of the wording vague in the new bill, and room for wiggling within the law, stay tuned for how this hand of poker plays out in the sunshine state.
