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Uncapped Poker in Florida in 2010 - HB7001
Finally, there is a new Florida legislature bill number for legalizing uncapped poker at the Florida pari-mutuel cardrooms, so I am starting a new thread.
HB7001 - An Act Relating to Pari-Mutuel Permitholders
The new bill is House Bill 7001. It is a one-page bill. All it does is remove the paragraph from Florida statutes which made the changes to pari-mutuel statutes that were passed into law in 2009 contingent on the ratification of a Seminole compact and instead make those changes go into effect on July 1, 2010.
Here is what the main part of HB7001 says:
Quote:
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
Section 1. Section 26 of chapter 2009-170, Laws of Florida, is amended to read:
Section 26. Sections 1 through 3 of this act and this section shall take effect upon becoming law. Sections 4 through 25 shall take effect
July 1, 2010.
[urlnded part in bold]
Links:
Follow the progress of the bill.
Read the current version of the full text of the bill (pdf).
Read the full text of SB788 (pdf).
What HB7100 Will Do
The provisions of the Florida statutes that will go into effect on July 1st, if HB7001 is passed and signed into law, include removing all caps from the buy-ins, stakes and limits of poker at Florida cardrooms and changing the hours of operation for the cardrooms to 18 hours/day M-F, 24 hours/day S-S & holidays. The age limit at the cardrooms will remain 18 years of age.
How HB7100 Will Become Law
It is expected, at this point, that HB7001 will easily pass a floor vote in both the Florida House and Senate in the spring legislative session. The session is scheduled to begin on March 2nd and end on April 30th. After the bill passes a floor vote in both the House and the Senate, it will be officially submitted to the Governor's office within a few weeks. The Governor will then have 15 days (7 days if it is submitted at least a week before the end of the legislative session) to either sign it or veto it. If the Governor does neither, it will automatically pass into law.
Regardless of the actual dates of these procedures, the bill will be implemented on July 1st (if passed into law).
(There is a chance that the bill will get combined with some other gaming bill before it makes it to a floor vote, but I think it is a very, very small chance of that happening.)
What Will Happen After HB7001 Becomes Law
The Florida cardrooms will be able to lay whatever games, stakes and limits they wish for any game of poker (except house-banked games) starting on July 1. It is a possibility that the Department of Pari-Mutuel Wagering will delay the actual start date while it develops and issues new related regulations for the cardrooms, but I think this is unlikely. I think it is likely that the Seminole
casinos will immediately start laying uncapped poker once HB7001 passes into law, rather than waiting for July 1. This will probably be sometime in June, giving them a few weeks jump on the pari-mutuels.
There will be no state restrictions on which games can be played. The cardrooms will be able to offer limit, spread limit, pot limit and no limit for any
poker game, including mixed games (as long as the display plaque at the table always shows the current stakes and limits for the game being dealt).
As each cardroom will be able to decide for itself what to lay, it is hard to predict exactly what will be offered. Certainly the same NLHE games that are available now (1/2, 2/5, 5/10) will continue to be offered, but with higher buy-in limits. There will no doubt be some games offered with unlimited buy-in. Games offered other than Holdem will probably vary based on player demand at each cardroom.
I expect Florida to quickly become one of the biggest poker destinations in the country, if not the world. No doubt the large tournament tours will add Florida to their circuit. (Although the
wsop circuit events play only at Harrah's properties, I can't imagine that they won't find a way to bring the WSOP to Florida. Perhaps they will buy a pari-mutuel or two in South Florida.) Within 5 years, we'll see a number of pros buying houses in Florida.
Go Florida!
This bill will be great for poker players. It will also be good for Florida in general as it will bring a lot more tourism and a lot more jobs.
Here are some related links:
Florida gaming legislation news.
The Florida House committee that deals with gaming bills.
Florida cardroom regulations.
Florida gambling laws.
Florida Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.
List of Florida Cardrooms.
My web page about Florida poker issues.
Links to the Florida legislators with phone numbers and email adresses:
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sectio...entatives.aspx
http://www.flsenate.gov/legislators/
Local media that usually publishes related news:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com
http://www.miamiherald.com
http://www.sun-sentinel.com
http://www2.tbo.com
http://anteupmagazine.com
http://www.naplesnews.com
http://blogs.trb.com
http://news-press.com
Publication that gives the other side of the fight, but also usually includes useful inside information in their related articles:
http://www.floridabaptistwitness.com
The Indian Gambling Regulatory Act.
Seminole Tribe site promoting compact.
Last edited by PokerXanadu; 01-20-2010 at 08:32 AM."
Taken from 2+2. (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/5...poker-florida-2010-hb7001-689968/index54.html)
Thanks again PX