TALLAHASSEE – Slot machines could be coming to several Florida dog and horse tracks if a far-reaching court ruling holds.
A Florida appeals court today ordered state regulators to award a license for slot machines to a north Florida facility located west of the state Capitol.
The First District Court of Appeal ruled by a 2-1 margin that the state improperly denied a slot machine license to a horse track located in Gretna in Gadsden County.
The court said the license should have been granted because Gadsden voters approved a referendum authorizing slots.
The ruling could have a wide impact because voters in several other counties including Lee, Brevard and Palm Beach have approved similar referendums.
State regulators had turned down the slot machine request due to a legal opinion by Attorney General Pam Bondi.