The Seminole tribe is still negotiating to get Class III gaming and Miami-Dade voters are to get another chance for slots operations at pari-mutuels there, but the Supreme Court in Florida is being asked to rule on whether the Broward County vote in March 2005 could be nullified. A coalition of anti-gambling bodies, including a greyhound protection organisation and Floridians Against Expanded Gambling, claim that many signatures on the original petition to get the slots amendment on the ballot were forged.

The amendment was actually passed by a margin of 93,000, evidence that expanded gambling was supported by many. The pro-slots group contends that this makes the argument obsolete and that the casino operators who have spent millions to install slot machines at the pari-mutuels in Broward County should not have to face the invalidation of their licences. The Supreme Court has been asked to rule on whether the election results can be invalidated or to allow a trial on the fraud allegations first.

The anti-gambling coalition did file a lawsuit in September 2004 in an attempt to get the slot machine issue off the ballot. When no hearing was scheduled before the election, the suit was dropped and it has been suggested that the group decided to wait, anticipating that the voters would throw out the ballot measure. If the court should rule for invalidation it could raise further challenges to other constitutional changes, something the legislature would want to avoid. (E-09.18.07)

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