Las Vegas Sands gives up on Florida Mega Casino

The casino company owned by Sheldon Adelson is the latest of many casino operators over the last 25 years to try and fail to get lawmakers and voters to pass legislation to allow for casino resorts. Indeed the state has never been close to seriously discussing casino resorts on all that time and now Las Vegas Sands has thrown on the towel believing it never will.

Only the Seminole Indian Tribe offers gambling with their Hard Rock Hotel & Casino operations on their reservations in Hollywood and Tampa Florida. The Hard Rock in Hollywood is a Hotel, Casino, however it is nowhere near the size of resort Las Vegas casino operators wanted.

The Seminole Tribe has an agreement with the State of Florida allowed by their status as sovereign Indian tribe to operate casinos which it pays some $400-million dollars a year to the state tax coffers. With Walt Disney and the Seminole Tribe strongly opposing casino resorts the Florida legislature never really wanted to upset either of them.

Las Vegas Sands Florida lobbyist Nick Iarossi said the decision to pull out of Florida came last weekend. He said the uncertainty over the deal to renew the gambling compact with the Seminole influenced the decision. “As long as the tribe is influencing the gaming landscape, there will not be room for us.”