Are cash-strapped Florida lawmakers ready to roll the dice on Las Vegas-style gambling resorts - or is it just a bluff?
With gaming negotiations between the state and the Seminole Tribe still at an impasse, a House committee looking for an edge explored another option Thursday: full-scale "integrated destination" convention and resort casinos like those in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
The Las Vegas Sands Corp., which owns or runs casino-based destination resorts in Las Vegas, Singapore, Macau and elsewhere, told the committee it was eager to bring its act to Florida.
More specifically, company officials proposed a $2 billion convention, trade show, vacation and gambling complex, most likely in South Florida. They shared a vision of high-rise hotels, vast exhibit halls, premium retail outlets, fancy restaurants and Vegas-style casinos.
"We want to build something so spectacular that the draw would be from South America and Europe," Andy Abboud, Sands' vice president of government relations, told lawmakers. "We don't want to re-circulate money just here in Florida."
At the same time, a legislative economist said Florida could sustain at least eight more casinos and they would contribute significantly more money to the state's anemic treasury than the casinos run by the Seminoles....
