Florida Judge Rules Against Seminole Tribe, Wants to Hear Lawsuit

Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against the Seminole Tribe of Florida over whether or not they are working to block petition gatherers for a constitutional amendment that would permit card rooms to operate in casinos.

Las Vegas Sands, who is supporting the lawsuit, launched a political committee entitled “Florida Voters in Charge” and hired petition-gathering firms to get 900,000 petitions before the Feb. 1, 2022 deadline. If they make the deadline, their constitutional amendment would be placed on the general election ballot in November 2022.

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Special Legislative Session Slated to Iron Out Florida Gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe

The Florida Legislature will be holding a special session to discuss the gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida on May 17. However, the tribe is not the only one with interests on the line. Multiple national and international casino gambling corporations, smaller casinos, internet gambling, thoroughbred racing, fantasy sports betting, and greyhound dog race betting are among those with interest in the outcomes of the compact.

As Florida becomes a more popular spot for gambling and betting, the state, the tribes, and invested industries are hoping previous years of tension will end in a new 30-year compact benefitting each party.

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Richmond, Virginia to Start Accepting Proposals for Resort Casinos, Releases Expectation Document

With the release of the Request for Qualifications/Proposals (RFQ/P) document, Richmond can now begin accepting submissions from established operators to build a resort casino in Virginia’s capital city.

Monday’s release of the RFQ/P marks the official start of the months-long competitive process to potentially bring a resort casino to Richmond in the coming years. The document outlines what the city expects from a proposal.

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Bills to Watch in the 2018 Session of the Tennessee General Assembly

As the second half of the 110th Tennessee General Assembly gets underway, many committees are in the hearing and organization meeting mode awaiting bills to review. There were several interesting bills scheduled for the House Civil Justice Subcommittee Wednesday, but most were “taken off notice” by the respective bill sponsor, which means they will only come back for review by the subcommittee at the sponsors will. Bills are listed below with the respective House and Senate sponsors as well as the bill abstract as published on the Tennessee General Assembly website. HB0676 by Lynn. (SB1183 by Niceley.) Statutes and Codification – As introduced, enacts the “Original Intent Act of 2017,” which requires the constitutions and laws of the United States and Tennessee to be interpreted in a manner to preserve their meaning at the time written. – Amends TCA Title 1. HB0884 by Matheny. (SB1341 by Bailey.) Handgun Permits – As introduced, permits a valid handgun carry permit holder to carry a firearm at any time and in all places in Tennessee unless the permit holder has been drinking alcohol, is in a judicial proceeding, or is on school grounds and does not tell the principal. – Amends TCA Section…

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