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TALLAHASSEE - Groups that oppose gambling and dog racing are urging Gov. Jeb Bush to veto a measure that they say would dramatically increase the stakes and hours at card rooms at dog and horse tracks.
The groups, ranging from the Christian Coalition to the Humane Society, say it would be the largest expansion of gambling in Florida since poker rooms were allowed in 1996.
Bush, who has on several occasions said he's opposed to expanding gambling, said he's not necessarily convinced that the measure would do that, but he said Thursday that he hasn't decided whether he'll sign the bill.
The group No Casinos sent Bush a letter Thursday arguing that the bill would "dramatically" increase hours and stakes in poker rooms at dog and horse tracks and jai alai frontons.
The measure (HB 1059), the group said, "would allow parimutuel facilities to turn their small-stake card games into high-stakes poker, by taking the maximum pot size from the current level of $10 to allowing pots as high as $200."
The bill eliminates the current $10-per-game pot limit and replaces it with a $2 bet limit and a maximum of three raises per round. But the number of rounds isn't limited, and Senate staffers estimated that players could win as much as $200 under the measure.
Bush, however, said he wasn't that concerned about the elimination of the pot limit because of the bet limit.
"It's really kind of a wash as it relates to the expansion of gambling," Bush said. "These card rooms already exist, and I'm not sure that that would be a good enough reason to veto it if it was exclusively that.
"But there are other provisions of the bill that we're looking at, and I haven't made up my mind yet," Bush said.
Administration officials say some of those other provisions that concern the governor relate to the hours that card rooms could operate, as well as provisions dealing with the tracks' partnerships and permit sharing arrangements with one another.
The measure passed the House 104-10 and the Senate 27-11 on the final day of the regular legislative session. It was one of the last bills passed.