Florida ballot measure for gambling expansion facing challenges

In the US, midterm elections are going to be held next month in a number of states. There is a wide range of topics to be covered, but one of the most contentious is the subject of gambling. Nowhere is this more evident than in the state of Florida, which is moving toward possibly making a major change regarding how new gambling operations are approved in the state. At this point, it’s still an uphill battle for both side of the challenge.

Under current laws, the state’s lawmakers decide to approve or deny a request for a new gambling operation. Next month, voters will take to the polls to vote on Amendment 3, which stipulates that the decision be moved to the voters. Every new gambling operation would be decided by a popular vote among the Sunshine State’s residents.

The amendment has significant support. Disney Worldwide Services, owners of Florida’s Walt Disney World, and the Seminole Indian tribe, which owns the Seminole Hard Rock and other gambling operations, want the bill to pass and have invested heavily to try and make it happen. They have donated approximately $36 million to a lobby group, Voters In Charge, in an effort to change the current status quo.

Those efforts may not be enough, though. Recent polls have shown that Amendment 3 is supported by only 54% of the population and it needs at least 60% to pass. 28% of those polled said that they won’t support it, so the vote will ultimately be decided by the remaining 18% who are still on the fence.