Arkansas, Louisiana okay new gambling options; Florida votes no

Gambling expansion plans found favor with voters in Arkansas and Louisiana on Tuesday, while Florida voters poured a big bucket of cold water on future gaming options.

Tuesday’s mid-term elections saw Florida voters approve Amendment 3, which asked whether they wanted to alter the state constitution to make it more difficult for legislators to approve new gambling options. From hereon in, any plan to expand gambling will require a statewide referendum in which 60% of voters must approve the measure.

The vote, which was approved by a 71-29 margin, was supported by the state’s lone casino operator, the Seminole Tribe of Indians, which doesn’t want new competiion. Also in favor was The Walt Disney Co., which doesn’t want any new casinos close to its Disney World resort in the belief that proximity to gambling would spoil the resort’s family-friendly vibe.

Amendment 3’s opponents included the state’s racing operators, who have long sought to add new gaming options as interest in their racing product continues to dwindle. Daily fantasy sports (and now sports betting) operators DraftKings and FanDuel also lobbied hard against the amendment’s passage.