Palm Beach Voters To Weigh In On Slots
PALM BEACH (CBS4)- The Palm Beach County Commission approved holding a November 2012 referendum about allowing slot machines in the county.
According to The Palm Beach Post, if voters approve, slots would be allowed at pari-mutuel facilities, which currently means the Palm Beach Kennel Club.
"We're not talking about a casino at this time, we're talking about slot machines," the newspaper quoted Commissioner Burt Aaronson as saying. "The Kennel Club already has high stakes poker. People want to gamble and you can't stop them."
But Commissioner Jess Santamaria, the only dissenter in a 6-1 vote, warned that the referendum could lead to a broader expansion of gambling.
"If anybody can guarantee to me today the only thing that will be moving forward is slot machines in the dog track and nothing else, I would consider it," Santamaria said, according to the Post. "However, we really know that in due time the casino will in fact follow."
Palm Beach County is following the lead of Gadsden County, which will hold a referendum next year on allowing slot machines at a new pari-mutuel facility in Gretna.
(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The News Service of Florida contributed material for this report)
