Point of View

A terrible hand is being dealt Florida's families, and the dealers are dealing from the bottom of the deck.

The gambling industry in Florida, emboldened by the departure of Gov. Jeb Bush, has pushed aggressively to expand their enterprise.

Recent votes in the Florida Legislature, Gov. Charlie Crist's actions to allow pro-gambling bills to become law, and public opinion polls suggest gaming proponents are growing increasingly successful in convincing Floridians to accept expanded gambling.

The few who benefit from gaming use the same arguments as years past. They claim gaming provides the elixir to cure everything from school funding shortfalls to rising property taxes. They also say expanding gambling will improve Florida's economy by unleashing a new source of tourism revenue.

But those claims have never been true before and they are not true now. I spent six years of my childhood in Las Vegas. I know the people who play slot machines, and they aren't the high rollers glamorized on television and the movies. In Las Vegas, there are slot machines in every grocery store and 7-Eleven. It's the most sinister form of gaming, because they literally nickel and dime the least among us down to their last dollar.

No matter, say the pro-gambling forces. "We can tax it," they say. I believe this logic is flawed and more importantly morally indefensible. It is wrong for those of us elected to serve the common good to disregard the mounds of evidence and research against gambling, look the other way, and give an "ends justifies the means" argument for expanded gambling.

The logic is flawed because we know the state is not benefiting from the tax revenue they promised. In Broward County, eight months after voter-approved slots began operating, revenues are well below expectations. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported last month that Broward slot operators reported daily revenues 60 percent lower than anticipated. The increased tourism that casino interest promised has not materialized, and the slots are deriving almost all their income from Florida residents.

Since the casinos have failed to attract out of town gamblers, the majority of gamblers are Floridians. Expanded gaming would only pull more Floridians in, meaning more and more of our neighbors will squander money away at casinos rather than spending them at other industries which have positive implications for our state.

Think about every dollar a father spends at a casino after work rather than spending it at the grocery store. Beyond the obvious distaste associated with the cliché of a father gambling away the milk money, consider how that dollar isn't being spent.

Which industry do you think is more positive for our state? A dog track that employs a few security guards and cashiers to keep an eye on a few dozen people as they pull slot machine handles, or a grocery store that employs cashiers, bag boys and girls, stock clerks, managers, butchers, pastry chefs, and fishmongers?

Which industry should we be working to promote?

Moreover, we know the negative and illicit satellite industries gambling generates. The casinos tell us crime, drug-use, divorce, and addiction numbers have not seen a significant increase in Broward. I say, just give them time. Those increases are coming, and expanding gambling will only speed up their arrival.

So what can those of us who oppose gambling do? We can't just vent our frustrations at PTA meetings and church parking lots. We must act.

First, we must hold politicians accountable. Despite the fact that myself and the two future Speakers of the House all vocally opposed legislation expanding gambling, and voted against these measures, the gambling industries convinced enough legislators to pass pro-gaming bills. I will be more steadfast and diligent in my final term as Speaker to oppose gambling legislation. But Floridians who oppose gambling must also send a message that there is an electoral price to be paid for supporting gambling.

Second, we must mobilize against any efforts to expand gambling anywhere in our state. I have pledged my commitment to work against a gambling referendum that will take place in January in Miami-Dade.

Whether you live in Pensacola, St. Augustine or Key West, what happens in Miami will affect you. If the gambling industry is successful in passing expanded gambling in Miami, your hometown could be next. We must work together, across the state, to oppose the Miami referendum.

We must be realistic and understand that the gambling interests are winning. But we must also be resolute in knowing that with a united effort we can turn the tables and prevent further gambling expansion in Florida.

Marco Rubio, R-Miami, is Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. Rubio contacted the Witness seeking to clarify his position on gambling in response to the July 5 editorial, "Gambling expansion underway, thanks to Gov. Crist."