Hollywood Loses Bid for Slot Revenue As reported by South Florida Sun Sentinel: "It's back to the drawing board for Hollywood in its long-running battle to win a slice of expected slots revenue. "City officials and lobbyists came very close last week to snaring a chunk of approximately $6 million from the pari-mutuels that will have Las Vegas-style slot machines within six months. But despite intense negotiations and a tentative agreement, the deal fell through. "Some of the complications included other cities, such as Fort Lauderdale and Aventura, joining in on the request for money. In addition, officials could not get all four pari-mutuel companies to agree to the terms. "Hollywood officials contend the pari-mutuels should give the city some of their profits, even though none of the four sites are actually in Hollywood. "…The city has estimated the cost at approximately $5 million per year. Any slots windfall would pay for things such as traffic calming devices on side streets, street closures and the hiring of new police officers and firefighters, Mayor Mara Giulianti said…" |