Would a Third President Bush be Good for Gambling?

Written by:
Thomas Somach
Published on:
Aug/30/2015
Would a Third President Bush be Good for Gambling?

Gambling911.com examines the candidate’s record.

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At most online gambling sites that offer political betting, former Florida governor John E. "Jeb" Bush is still the odds-on favorite to win the 2016 Republican nomination for President of the United States.

That's in spite of falling poll numbers and a rising political star named Trump.

Online bookmakers who set the betting odds for political events know that the candidate who raises the most money from donors usually wins his party's nomination for President, and Bush is way ahead at this point in that department.

They also know that "Bush" isn't just a name, it's also a popular brand: if Jeb is elected President, three of the last six Presidents will have been named Bush.

So with the very legitimate possibility that 62-year-old Jeb Bush could become the 45th President of the United States, Gambling 911 sought to find out whether once in the White House he would be a friend or foe of gambling issues at the national level, such as legalizing sports betting nationally or legalizing online gambling nationally.

Gambling 911 examined Bush's two-term tenure as governor of Florida, which ran from 1999 to 2007, to see what his record is on gambling issues, and the answer, in a word, is "mixed."

There's also an element of hypocrisy that can't be ignored.

Bush, while governor, often spoke out against expanding gambling in Florida.

But then he sometimes expanded gambling in Florida.

And sometimes he refused to expand gambling in Florida.

And sometimes he dismantled gambling that had already been in existence.

Here's what the record shows:

Bush famously declared during his first term in office: "I'm not for video lotteries, slots, casinos or for the expansion of gambling."

In 1999, Bush revoked the leases for all gambling cruise operations in the state.

The gambling cruise ships--known as "cruises to nowhere"--would go out three miles into international waters, where Florida law didn't apply, and then offer casino games and sports betting.

By issuing Florida's first ever "no gambling" leases on underwater state land, he effectively shut down Florida's 17 gambling cruise ships by prohibiting them from docking in state waters when they weren't operating in international waters.

The move didn't stand--the gambling cruise lines challenged the edict in court and in 2001 a judge negated it, allowing the lines to return to operation.

Also in 1999, Bush declined an offer for Florida to join the multi-state mega-lottery Powerball, which offered lottery jackpots much larger than any individual state lottery did.

But during his tenure as governor he permitted the Florida Lotto, one of the state's lottery games, to increase from one drawing a week to two.

He also allowed a Fantasy 5 lottery game drawing every night, added two weekly Megaball drawings and allowed nightly Play 4 and Cash 3 lottery games.

As for the Florida Lottery's instant scratch-off tickets, the number of different kinds available zoomed to 61 under Bush's watch, including some costing as much as $20 apiece.

In 2009, under Bush's successor, Governor Charlie Crist, Florida finally did join Powerball.

In 2002, the state legislature passed a bill increasing the limits and extending the hours at the state's poker rooms.

Bush vetoed the bill, saying he didn't oppose the limit increases but did have a problem with expanding the hours of operation.

In 2003 the state legislature approved an updated version of the bill which increased the limits but not the hours and Bush allowed it to become law.

The law eliminated a $10-per-game pot limit at racetrack poker rooms, replacing it with a $2 bet limit and a maximum of three raises per round, with unlimited rounds.

In 2004, the state legislature passed a bill legalizing instant bingo tickets and sent it to Bush to sign into law.

Instant bingo tickets, similar to instant lottery tickets, are pull-tab tickets.

Instead of scratching off a film to reveal numbers to see if they are winners, buyers pull off a cardboard cover or pull-tab
to reveal numbers that they then match with numbers on a bingo card to see if and what they win.

Unlike the state lottery, however, which is run by the state government, instant bingo tickets could be offered by private organizations such as charities and VFW clubs.

Bush vetoed the bill.

In 2007, Crist signed instant bingo into law.

In 2006, Bush signed legislation allowing four state racetracks to install slot machines.

Also in 2006, as required under Federal law, Bush negotiated with state Indian tribes that ran tribal casinos on Indian land and wanted to expand their gambling offerings.

The tribes, which only offered poker, bingo and slot machine-like devices, wanted to add blackjack, backgammon and full slot machines, but couldn't reach a deal with Bush.

The tribes eventually got what they wanted once Crist got into office.

So there you have it: Bush's record on gambling.

Some good, some bad, some ugly.

But no clear indication of what he would do should he become President.

(This is one article in a continuing Gambling 911 series on 2016 Presidential candidates and their views on gambling issues. To see previous articles in the series, click on the POLITICS link on the left side of the Gambling 911 home page.)

By Tom Somach

Gambling 911 Staff Writer

tomsomach@yahoo.com

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