When all is said and done, gaming expansion in Florida will take place during the next few years, as governor Charlie Crist gets down to the nitty-gritty of establishing a contract with the Seminole tribe and the expansion from limited Class II gambling machines to full blast Las Vegas style slots plus live gaming table games like Roulette, Baccarat and Black Jack, amongst other high roller choices.

However, the Las Vegas style gaming would stop at the Class III gambling devices with unlimited play and prizes because, according to economics professor and director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada-Reno Bill Eadington, gambling in Florida could develop along similar lines to that in London, England.

The fact is that London is a world tourism capital, which offers casino gambling throughout the fashionable and wealthiest areas of Mayfair, Belgravia and the West End. Eadington says: "People don't go to London for the casinos. They go for other reasons, and then utilize the casinos. I would think that would be the model for Florida, because it's very difficult for a gaming destination to just evolve.”

Whether Florida can be compared to London as a tourist destination is questionable. However, for the purpose of gaming development several cities could be counted on to site casinos in the London manner. Starting with Miami and going on to Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, where the Seminoles have outstanding operations, and perhaps Daytona to the north, and maybe Tallahassee the state capital. One of the most promising places would have to be Sarasota, which during the past few years has been going through unprecedented development, with 20% above national per capita retail sales.

A quaint seaside destination, initially colonized by Scots in mid 19th century, Sarasota now boasts the new Ringling School of Art, a Foreign Film Festival, the Asolo Theatre Company, Florida Studio Theatre, Island Players, Lemon Bay Playhouse, and Theatre Works. This weekend, during one of several anniversary celebrations of this journal, we visited Top 10 Florida restaurant Selva Grill, where world acclaimed chef Darwin Santa Maria produced what he calls “Peruvian inspired cuisine”, using imported ingredients for acclaimed dishes that would have made gastronomic legend Gaston Acurio proud.

As Florida lawmakers prepare for a special session in a few weeks time to cut more than US $1 billion from the state budget, Crist and other lawmakers say an agreement allowing the Seminole Tribe to expand its casino games could help ease the state's financial woes. Sen. Steve Geller, the leader of the Senate Democrats, warned that without new money that could result from a gambling deal with the Seminoles, the state is facing deep cuts in critical programmes for health care, education and the elderly.

Geller said that the option, which "may be least objectionable to a number of people," involves reaching a gambling deal with the Seminoles that could raise between US $50 - 500 million a year, depending on how the agreement is structured. If Florida does not reach an agreement with the Seminoles, they will be given a free Federal hand to offer Las Vegas style gambling without contributing one penny to state funds. However, a situation like this would give Floridians the opportunity to approve state wide gambling to be developed in cities like Miami, Daytona and Sarasota, and others. (S-09.03.07)

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