Florida Gambling Reform Stalls as iGaming Crackdown in Limbo
Florida lawmakers ended this year’s session without passing HB 189, a broad rewrite of gaming rules that would have reformed how “amusement” slot machines are treated.
Key Takeaways:
- Florida lawmakers fail to pass a comprehensive gaming regulation bill
- Efforts to criminalize non‑Seminole online betting face unresolved delays
- Active proposals aim to tighten oversight and define internet gambling broadly
It would have also tightened language aimed at offshore and sweepstakes-style operations.
The measure ran out of time as legislators debated how the bill would change the regulation of “amusement” slot machines, underscoring ongoing challenges surrounding Florida gambling reform.
The bill’s collapse leaves unresolved efforts to criminalize many non‑Seminole online betting operations advanced in companion measures.
According to Covers.com, later amendments to HB 189 sought to make operating or promoting non‑Seminole internet sports betting or casino-style gambling a felony. It would also deem participation a misdemeanor.
The Florida Senate’s Regulated Industries Committee approved a separate proposal that would define internet gambling and internet sports wagering broadly. It would impose felony penalties for operators and create post‑employment restrictions for Gaming Control Commission officials to limit conflicts of interest.
SB 1164 was also filed that would strip language requiring the Florida Gaming Control Commission to select “appointees who reflect Florida’s racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.”
Any future bill that survives will likely prioritize enforcement against non‑Seminole online offerings. It would expand the state’s toolkit for classifying illegal gambling venues as public nuisances, a central objective of ongoing Florida gambling reform efforts, a change that did pass this session.
