Gaming News

Florida casino plans on hold

FLORIDA -- As reported by the South Florida Sun Sentinel: "Dania Jai-Alai has a license to operate slot machines, the backing of a Las Vegas gambling company and a prime location near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

"But plans to replace the cavernous 54-year-old venue with a new casino are on hold indefinitely. The earliest that slots could be ringing in Dania Beach will be 2009, at least four years after Broward County voters decided to allow the machines at four pari-mutuels.

"While the other three pari-mutuels introduced slots within months of getting state licenses, Dania Jai-Alai's parent company, Boyd Gaming, watches from the sidelines. And what Boyd Gaming, one of the country's largest gambling companies, has seen so far has led it to abandon a late 2008 opening date for the casino.

"...Chief among those issues: the lackluster performance of slots at the other Broward pari-mutuels, the Seminole Tribe's push for expanded gambling rights and a pending court case that could affect the legality of slots.

"Dania Beach officials said Boyd Gaming officials assured them the company's plans for a casino are still alive..."

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