Florida House Passes Five-Year Decoupling Bill

As expected by opponents, Florida decoupling passes in House

As part of a bigger gambling bill, the decoupling proposal being pushed by The Stronach Group passed by a slightly more than two-thirds majority in the Florida House on Friday evening. The 70-34 vote on House bill 1467 was anticipated widely by opponents of the plan. The bill would allow Gulfstream Park to separate its racing and slot-machine licenses, a maneuver that Thoroughbred stakeholders overwhelmingly believe would lead to the eventual en…

Florida House Passes Five-Year Decoupling Bill

The Florida House of Representatives on Friday passed controversial Thoroughbred decoupling legislation by a 70-34 vote at 6:10 p.m. HB 167 is a wide-ranging gaming bill, but the only section of it that came up for debate during the Apr. 25 legislative session was the decoupling aspect. As passed by the House, the bill would remove a statutory requirement that Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs run a minimum number of live Thoroughbred races in…