In mid-July this year, a new pari-mutuel facility, also known as Kings Court, swung its doors open in Florida City. Only a few months later, it seems that the gambling venue has run into troubles due to Florida’s legal framework for gambling. Under Florida law, all gambling facilities, which would like to offer poker and casino games are obliged to offer pari-mutuel betting, including horse racing, greyhound racing, jai-alai, and others. Contrary to the expectations, Kings Court has met all the state requirements. The dynamic games, though, ravaged the facility, leaving it with shattered glasses and no profit. At least, the owners can operate without any worries about for the fiscal year, which is to end 30th June 2018.
By law, Kings Court was required to operate a jai-alai session before it can offer poker. Apart from that, there is a requirement regarding the minimum number of performances of the “obligatory” game, which is no less than 58. Despite all the downsides, Kings Court managed to meet the state’s requirements and now it is allowed to offer poker and casino games for the fiscal year, which is to end 30th June 2018. The next challenge in front of the poker room’s owners is to run 58 more performances by 30th June 2019, which is the end of the next fiscal year. Kings Court has almost 2 years to complete the mission.
Kings Court’s Problems from Offering Jai-Alai
In the meanwhile, the operators are to investigate a problem with the unique glass court, which was shattered on multiple occasions. The company, which installed the glass, convinced the owners that it is of high quality and it is specially designed for that purpose, but it seems that the players are either too strong, or the company did not keep its promises.
As aforementioned, Kings Court bumped into yet another problem. The pari-mutuel facility registered almost no profit from jai-alai. As for July and August, when Kings Court was allowed to offer only jai-alai, the figures revealed that the players gambled away $1,914 and $1,081, respectively. The picture seems to be wistful as a great number of people lost interest in the once thriving jai-alai sport and the city’s jai-alai venues are almost dying. Hence, it may be concluded that Kings Court poker room did a good job so far compared to the others.
Florida’s Gambling Rules
As aforementioned, in Florida, casinos and poker rooms are forbidden by law. However, the law offers one loophole. The only way to open a gambling facility and offer poker and casino games in Florida City is to offer pari-mutuel betting as this is the only gambling form that is allowed. But there is a good historical reason for Florida’s gambling law. The jai-alai sport was among the most popular in the area, but the things dramatically changed somewhere between the 1970s and the 1980s. Rumours were spread that the games are fixed and people’s interest in jai-alai dropped. In order to save the game’s vestige, the state introduced the current gambling law. On the other hand, the poker tables in these facilities are beehive with activity.
