Florida Cardrooms Require State License and Local Approval

Fla. Stat. § 849.086 is Florida's cardroom-authorization statute, enacted to expand entertainment options, boost tourism, and generate state revenue by permitting certain games at licensed pari-mutuel facilities. Under subsection (2), an "authorized game" is limited to poker or dominoes "played in a nonbanking manner", the house never covers bets against players. A "cardroom" is any facility charging the public a fee to play those games.

Only a licensed pari-mutuel permitholder, a greyhound track, horse track, or jai alai fronton, may hold a cardroom license, and only the Florida Gaming Control Commission can issue one, under subsection (5)(a). The annual license fee is $1,000 per table under subsection (5)(e). Subsection (7)(h) caps designated-player poker at 10 tables in counties where slot machines are authorized under chapters 285 or 551, and at 30 tables in counties without slot machines. Cardrooms may run 24 hours a day once the permitholder meets the racing and performance requirements of subsection (5)(b). All wagering under subsection (8) must use house-issued chips or tokens, cash bets are barred, and the operator, not the state, sets betting limits and tournament entry fees.

Before the commission issues a facility's first cardroom license, subsection (16)(a) requires proof that the host municipality's governing body, or the county commission if the facility sits outside any municipality, has voted to approve cardroom gaming. Moving an existing license to a new site within the same county is a separate hurdle: subsection (17)(a) requires a countywide referendum, with a majority of voters approving the transfer. Operating a cardroom without a valid license is a third-degree felony under subsection (15); a licensee who violates the statute commits a first-degree misdemeanor, escalating to a third-degree felony on a repeat violation within three years.

Operating a cardroom without a Commission-issued license is a third-degree felony, punishable under sections 775.082, 775.083, or 775.084. A licensee or permitholder who violates any provision of Section 849.086 commits a first-degree misdemeanor; a second violation of the same paragraph or subsection within three years of a prior conviction escalates to a third-degree felony. The Florida Gaming Control Commission also enforces internal-control and tax-reporting rules through license suspension or revocation.