Debate Over Miami Mega Casinos Continues
Malaysia based Genting has ramped up efforts to build a mega casino in Miami Florida. The firm has already snapped up two parcels of prime Miami real estate for the resort and casino project. The proposed Miami mega casinos have been the source of contentious debate in the Florida legislature. The casino proposals have also drawn the ire of anti-gambling groups. Several Florida legislators are trying to amend Florida law to allow the construction of several mega casinos in the Miami area. Many hope to position Miami as a gambling destination to accommodate tourists from Central and South America.
Genting provoked the debate after the company announced that it had purchased the Miami Herald’s headquarters for $236 million and announced plans to build one of the world’s largest hotels and resort on the property. The Genting casino would be one of the largest in the world, offering a variety of games (including, of course, bingo and slots). After the debate began in the legislature Genting announced that it had made a deal worth $161 million to acquire the Omni complex adjacent to Miami Herald headquarters. The company said it would build the casino and resort within six months of any new state gambling laws giving the company the go ahead.
Unfortunately there are plenty of opponents to Genting’s plans. Opponents say they are concerned about the increased traffic and the sociological impact a mega casino would have on the Miami area. Many opponents see Genting’s latest move as a blatant attempt to extract voted from lawmakers by dangling the prospect of thousands of new jobs and millions in new tax revenues once the casino is built. The sponsor of the bill being discussed withdrew the piece of legislation due to opponents saying the bill was too pro Genting. Most analysts believe the issue will resurface in the near future.
Some rumors say that Genting is planning on bypassing the legislature and will conduct a Florida wide petition drive to put a gambling referendum on the 2014 ballot, which would let Miami Dade and Broward county residents to decide whether to allow mega resorts and casinos. The No Casinos advocacy group says the casinos will lead to increased crime, although no statistics support this contention. The group even conducted its own study, but some say the study has serious flaws – similar to the flawed studies conducted about online bingo sites like Fabulous Bingo. College of Charleston Associate Professor of Economics Douglas Walker said that the crime figures in the study were overstated. Currently the Miami Dade and Broward area have 10 casinos which are a combination of tribal gaming operations and racinos.
