A sweeping gambling bill that would expand criminal penalties for illegal slot operations and target sports betting corruption advanced to the Florida House floor on Tuesday after clearing its third committee.
HB 189, sponsored by Republican Representative Dana Trabulsy, passed the Commerce Committee in an 18–5 vote. A floor vote has not yet been scheduled, with the state’s legislative session set to end on March 13.
The measure would elevate illegal gambling offenses to third-degree felonies and create new crimes tied to sports betting corruption. It also tightens oversight and ethics requirements for the Florida Gaming Control Commission, including restrictions barring commissioners from accepting certain gambling-related jobs within a specified timeframe after leaving office.
The bill further strengthens licensing and ownership disclosure standards, removes ownership interest thresholds for changes in pari-mutuel permits, and revises a previous version to allow municipalities to enact their own gambling laws. It also legalises fantasy sports contests and permits veterans organisations offering so-called “amusement games” to seek certification from the gaming commission.
Trabulsy told lawmakers she had personally examined the prevalence of illegal gambling operations. “I’d lost about $600 researching illegal gambling,” she said during testimony.
She also framed the legislation as necessary to maintain the integrity of the state’s 2021 gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which grants the tribe a monopoly over sports betting and casino-style gambling in the state.
“The Seminole Tribe paid the state of Florida, over the course of five years, $2.5 billion,” Trabulsy said, referring to the revenue-sharing agreement embedded in the compact. “And when we have illegal activity happening where taxes are not being paid to the state, it’s just an unfair playing field, and it’s unintended.”
Supporters of the measure argued that strengthening enforcement would help curb ancillary crime and protect the state’s regulated market framework, while critics previously raised concerns about its potential impact on veterans groups operating what is labeled as “amusement games.”
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/02/11/117562-florida-house-panel-advances-sweeping-gambling-bill-to-floor
