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Destination resort casinos, the future of greyhound racing, and renewing the compact that allows blackjack in certain places around the state. All were topics of discussion for lawmakers today, and as Matt Galka tells us, the odds are against getting many of the proposals to pass.

A four hour long workshop saw legislators diving into a heated gambling debate.  They heard from dozens of stakeholders on what’s best for the future of gaming in the state.

Outsiders said putting a Las Vegas type strip wouldn’t corrupt the state.

“Make no mistake, the tribal facilities in Florida are Las Vegas style casinos. The one in Tampa does a billion dollars in revenue a year, one of the most profitable in the world, the sky did not fall when they opened up. Crime rates didn’t increase in Hillsborough County,” said Nick Iarossi with the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.

But John Sowinski with anti-gaming group “No Casinos” says expansion would ruin the family friendly Florida brand.

“To say that casinos don’t create more crime in that zip code is like saying cigarette factories don’t increase cancer rates around the cigarette factory, this is a problem people take home with them,” said Sowinski.

The workshop comes at a time when the state is trying to renew its compact deal with the Seminole Tribe – an exclusive deal that allows their tribes casinos to run blackjack and other table games.  The deal has brought $1 billion dollars to the state and expires in July.

“I encouraged them to participate in this work shop today but they determined they were not going to do that,” said House Majority Leader Dana Young (R-Tampa).

Young is pushing a comprehensive gaming bill that could pave the way for more casinos in the state and create oversight.

She said it’s too early to determine how many members supported it.

“This is a gaming bill and gaming bills never come up until the last couple days of session,” said Rep. Young.

The bill would force the Seminoles to give up their exclusive gaming rights, something they’re not on board with. The talks have reportedly been stalled since January.

There’s another dog in the gambling fight: the Florida Greyhound Association. They don’t want to see the legislature decouple – which would allow them to operate poker and slots without having to run dog races.