Florida, the vacation destination of millions, has it all. Beaches, Amusement Parks, Outdoor Recreation, and yes, even limited Gaming are all part of the Florida Tourism Industry, sort of. You can go to a Casino or try online casinos like 토토사이트 카지노, but only if it is run by Indians. You can go play poker, but only in certain cities, at certain parimutuel locations. You can play video games in strip malls that take your money and payout very little. Seems like every time you look, the state is adding a new lottery game, even though one’s chances of hitting the lottery are, well we all know how that goes.
All of this makes me wonder, why in the world is the Florida Legislature so opposed to allowing non-Indian Casinos in the State? The Indians and some parimutuel facilities (dog tracks in South Florida in particular) already have limited Casinos, but there are still ridiculous laws regarding what types of machines and table games they can have. So I wonder, why is the State still limiting Casino gambling in such a way that it is hurting the residents of the State?
We are a top vacation destination. Sure people want to go to Disney and the Beaches, but at some point, we need to consider adding and upgrading. The Amusement Parks are wonderful, but they are basically the same as the day they opened with a few exceptions and occasional upgrades. The beaches are wonderful, but not everyone wants to bake in the sun all day. Adding Casino Resorts, and I am talking about Mega Resorts with spas, and entertainment and restaurants, and even it’s own family amusements like you would see in Las Vegas, will only bring another dimension to our tourist State. People who go to Florida for vacation also are the same people who go to Vegas. Why this is seen as an either/or proposition, I don’t understand. Florida tends to act as if we would lose the business that the family-friendly destinations bring in. Somehow we would be presenting an image that is not family-friendly. Either a family destination spot or a place you wouldn’t dare take your family, filled with crime and prostitution and sin???? Come on. People with children will still come for Disney and Universal and the beaches. They may like some other entertainment too, but they aren’t going to stop using what is already here. Florida can regulate it in such a way that other industries such as strip clubs and 24-hour bars don’t follow. They can assure that it is still family-friendly, but they can allow the Industry to offer more variety. People who otherwise would have gone to Las Vegas, or some other gambling location, may just decide to go to Florida instead so they can go to the Beaches, or go to Disney too. When you choose a vacation spot, do you choose someplace that has one thing to do? Probably not. You probably decide what is the best value and which location you are going to have the most to do. You may even decide to stay longer just to fit everything you want to do in. There are some people who you don’t see a lot of at Disney or Universal or the Beaches. You don’t see a lot of Seniors. You don’t see a lot of little old ladies walking around Disney. It is hard to go to a casino though, and not see the little old lady who is having the best time just sitting in the cool air conditioning and a big cushy seat enjoying the fact that she doesn’t have to do a whole lot to be entertained. They even bring seniors into Casinos by the busloads, offering them great deals on food and entertainment. How about the young, hip couple who, although may enjoy an occasional amusement park is not looking for the full-blown experience of amusement parks and tacky dinner shows. Maybe they are looking for more sophisticated entertainment in a more adult-friendly environment. If we add to our tourism industry, it is a certainty we will get tourists that we may not have gotten otherwise.
And sadly for those who are just opposed to Casinos on moral grounds, the fact is there are Casinos in Florida, yet they are not consumer-friendly and Florida is not getting the full benefit. The consumer is not benefiting from them because there is no competition and the casinos end up getting away with way too much of your money. They are also very limited, often forcing residents and tourists alike to drive long distances to experience gaming. There are also very few (only two I know of, both run by the Seminole Indian tribe) that have their Casinos in a Resort, making it much less enticing for an out of state tourist. There have been many large gaming corporations willing to build beautiful facilities that would provide the state and towns with much-needed revenue, create much-needed jobs, and expand our tourist industry to include other tourists who would otherwise go to another state. The Florida Legislature continuously turns their noses up. To be fair, there is some buzz now about possibly allowing corporations to bid on gaming licenses on a limited basis creating a fair market place that doesn’t just benefit the Indians.
I hope to see this happen, and I am sure that one day it will. I just want to be one of the first to do it and not one of the last. I hope that Florida doesn’t take their popularity as a tourist destination for granted and assume that other states won’t beat us to the punch. Once other states get what we don’t have, there is more competition and it is harder for us to gain that business. As a resident, of Central Florida, I hope that we don’t take our tourist industry for granted either. I think we need to realize that when another city offers what we don’t have, they will be the ones getting the tourism dollars from it, not us. There is a whole world of people out there, and crazy as it sounds we can cater to families wanting to immerse themselves in roller coasters, and kiddie rides. We can cater to those adults who want to gamble and we can cater to those who want to do both. One look at what Vegas was before and what it is now, proves my point. They are actually getting closer to what Florida is with the Mega Resorts offering tropical oasis’ and amusements of all kinds. It’s not even all about the gambling there anymore. They have more variety than you will find almost anywhere. For Florida, it is out being well rounded, versatile, and offering something for everyone, and something that someone can not get anywhere else. Now if we could only build mountains and make it snow we will truly have it all.
