And when the casino carnival bus made its way to Florida again in 19, No Casinos was reactivated to once again lead the fight with the help of the same coalition Governor Askew brought together in 1978.įor much of the past decade, No Casinos has remained active as the legislature tries to pass its own gambling bills. Voters overwhelmingly rejected high stakes casinos gambling in 1978. And he rallied leaders from the business, civic, law enforcement, religious and governmental communities to recognize what we all have to lose, and to engage the fight.įrom that day forward, “No Casinos” was more than just a political effort – it was an important civic cause. He didn’t just oppose a casino-bankrolled ballot initiative to legalize casinos in Florida – he created an organization to stop it. So then-Governor Reuben Askew took a bold stand.
But unlike Atlantic City, leaders in Florida realized that we have much to lose. After casinos were legalized in Atlantic City in 1977, gambling interests began targeting what they considered then, and now, as the biggest prize – Florida.
