Trump Seeks Miami Casino License

‘Miami Mayor Mentions Portable Card Games in Land-Based Licence News!’ (Image Source: images.unsplash.com)

Could casinos become a reality in Miami? It is highly unlikely, but there is a great story behind the claim after one of the key points to take out of a local Miami newspaper report is that the Miami Mayor mentions portable card games.

The exact from Mayor Dan Gelber mentions that those pushing for changes in city casino laws want to make ‘slots’, ‘card games’, and ‘things like that’ ‘PORTABLE’! The world ‘portable’ creates a stir here, while also the names of the son’s of 2 famous billionaire property developers are both involved in the proposal to bring casino tables and slots to Miami City. And one of those billionaire sons is the former president’s next of kin!

Earlier reports were coming in last week that Eric Trump was making the push to have changes made to the Miami casino laws, or at least he is throwing his weight, or more like money, while this story becomes more interesting because there is also another big name in town by the name of Jeffrey Soffer, who is billionaire real estate developer Donald Soffer’s son.

Trump’s plan is to gain a casino license to bring games to his Doral Golf Resort, while Soffer is looking to create a Fontainebleau Miami Beach casino brand.

At first, this just seemed like hearsay news reporting, and most outlets ignored it. There have already been attempts to bring casino licensing to Miami, but the anti-gambling city bigwigs always get their way, leaving investors out of pocket.

Last time it was Genting with the support of Seminole Tribe of Florida, which owns several Florida casinos,  that failed to have the Miami bill amended, but it seems they may be back in for another bout versus the ‘City’ too!

Can Miami City Fight All 3 Corners?

Senate President Wilton is already supporting a move that will allow developers to designate casino areas and bypass local government approval. This is step one, at least. However, at this time there is no legislation put forward, although it seems likely lobbying is underway, and those involved are seriously wealthy individuals with ludicrously wealthy backers.

Whether Erik Trump’s father has upset enough people in the state’s government to see them all turn against the proposed legislative change is yet to be seen, but Jeffrey Soffer could be the man to push this through. All this being said, Trump and Mayor Dan Gelber reportedly have a good relationship while the mayor has hired a legal team to battle Soffer’s proposal in the meantime.

On the other hand, Walt Disney World, another multi-billion party may become involved as the firm was involved in the previous rejection to allow the Seminole Tribe of Florida to expand to open casinos outside its designated area! Would the company be prepared to throw more million at fighting them again along with Trump and Soffer?

For now, the lobbying will begin and news will fly until finally, a state ballot comes into play. If that happens, then there will need to be 60% support in favour of amending the casino bill!

Is Online Gambling a Possibility in Miami?

For online gambling to become legal, the law at the state level would need amending. Also, state-level lobbying could be the best route to take for Soffer and Trump, which may apply pressure down the pecking order. However, it is unlikely this means online gambling will become a reality, which there would need to be a Florida state licensing framework live casinos, online casinos, and online sports betting to go ahead.

The only reason that online gambling coming to Miami, or Florida as a whole is even an issue here is the word ‘portable’ used by Mayor Dan Gelber! This could be a sign that any proposals seen by the mayor to change the city’s casino policy may include plans for iGaming, but as with most comments like this, it really is open to interpretation!

Now is the perfect time to bring in online casinos if an investor were to also introduce land-based casinos. There are already 6 online casino license frameworks, which include Connecticut frameworks in progress.

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