summary
Introduced
12/20/2023
12/20/2023
In Committee
01/04/2024
01/04/2024
Crossed Over
02/28/2024
02/28/2024
Passed
Dead
03/08/2024
03/08/2024
Introduced Session
2024 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An act relating to gaming control; amending s. 843.08, F.S.; prohibiting a person from falsely personating any personnel or representative from the Florida Gaming Control Commission; providing a criminal penalty; amending s. 849.01, F.S.; specifying that a violation of the prohibition against keeping a gambling house must be committed knowingly; increasing the criminal penalty for a violation; amending s. 849.15, F.S.; providing definitions; increasing the criminal penalty for specified violations involving a slot machine or device; providing requirements for notice of violations; providing construction; prohibiting a person who knowingly destroys, conceals, or removes slot machines or devices or any part thereof under certain circumstances; providing criminal penalties; creating s. 849.155, F.S.; prohibiting a person from trafficking in slot machines or devices; providing a criminal penalty; requiring a court to order an offender to pay a specified fine if he or she is convicted of trafficking in a specified number of slot machines or devices; providing for deposit of fines collected and use of proceeds; creating s. 849.157, F.S.; prohibiting a person from making false statements or disseminating false information regarding the legality of a slot machine or device to facilitate the sale or delivery of such device; providing criminal penalties; repealing s. 849.23, F.S., relating to penalties for specified violations; creating s. 849.47, F.S.; prohibiting a person from, for profit or hire, transporting or procuring the transportation of a specified number of other persons to facilitate illegal gambling; providing criminal penalties; defining the term “illegal gambling”; creating s. 849.48, F.S.; prohibiting a person from making or disseminating specified advertisements to promote or facilitate illegal gambling; prohibiting activities for creation of specified advertisements if a person knows or reasonably should know such material will be used to promote or facilitate illegal gambling; providing a criminal penalty; providing an exception; defining the term “illegal gambling”; creating s. 849.49, F.S.; specifying that the regulation of gambling is expressly preempted to the state; providing an exception; amending s. 903.046, F.S.; requiring a court to consider the amount of currency seized that is connected to specified violations relating to illegal gambling when determining bail; amending s. 921.0022, F.S.; ranking offenses created by the act on the offense severity ranking chart of the Criminal Punishment Code; reranking specified offenses on the offense severity ranking chart of the Criminal Punishment Code; conforming provisions to changes made by the act; amending ss. 772.102 and 895.02, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the act; providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill amends several Florida statutes related to gaming control. Key provisions include:
- Prohibiting the false personation of personnel or representatives from the Florida Gaming Control Commission, with criminal penalties.
- Increasing the criminal penalty for operating a gambling house from a misdemeanor to a felony.
- Defining terms like "conviction" and "manager" related to the manufacture, sale, or possession of slot machines or devices, and increasing criminal penalties based on prior convictions or the number of machines involved.
- Creating a new offense for trafficking in slot machines or devices, with fines up to $500,000 based on the quantity involved.
- Prohibiting making false or misleading statements to facilitate the sale of slot machines or devices, with higher penalties for larger-scale offenses.
- Creating new offenses for transporting people to facilitate illegal gambling, with enhanced penalties for transporting minors or large groups, and for making or disseminating advertisements to promote illegal gambling.
- Preempting local regulation of gambling to the state, with limited exceptions.
- Requiring courts to consider currency seized related to illegal gambling when setting bail.
- Ranking the new offenses on the Criminal Punishment Code's offense severity ranking chart.
Committee Categories
Budget and Finance
Sponsors (1)
Other Sponsors (2)
Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government (Senate), Fiscal Policy (Senate)
Last Action
Died in Messages (on 03/08/2024)
Taxonomy
Law, Crime, and Family Issues
- ‐ Criminal and Juvenile Delinquent Prosecution, Procedure, and Sentencing
- ‐ Gambling, Lottery, and Gaming
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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