Florida Senator Seeks to Eliminate DEI From State Gaming Industry, Elevate Illegal Gambling Penalties

Posted on: January 8, 2026, 07:49h. 

Last updated on: January 8, 2026, 09:34h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • A senator in Florida wants to rid DEI from the gaming industry
  • The lawmaker also wants harsher penalties for illegal gambling

A senator in Florida is seeking to overhaul the Sunshine State’s gaming industry by stripping diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements and elevating penalties for individuals found guilty of owning or working in an illegal gambling house.

Florida DEI illegal gambling
Florida Sen. Clay Yarborough (R) and his wife, Jordan. The senator is behind legislation that would further rid DEI mandates from Florida law. He’s also seeking to increase penalties against illegal gambling businesses, their employees, and their landlords. (Image: X)

Sen. Clay Yarborough (R-Nassau), a rising Republican star in Florida politics, is seeking to use the 2026 legislative session to further eliminate DEI. Along with bills to rescind DEI mandates from local governments, Yarborough has filed Senate Bill 1164, which would stop requiring that diverse members be appointed to the five-person Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC).

SB1164 would remove language saying that the FGCC “shall consider appointees who reflect Florida’s racial, ethnic, and gender diversity.” Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who is responsible for appointing the FGCC, welcomed Yarborough’s DEI bills.

Florida has led the nation on DEI elimination. Now, Sen. Yarborough … has filed a bill to eliminate DEI in government. Let’s go,” DeSantis said Wednesday.

Florida’s gaming commission regulates parimutuel wagering, cardrooms, and slot machine facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The agency also has oversight of gaming compacts and other forms of gambling authorized by the Florida State Constitution or law, excluding the state lottery.

Bill Seeks Felony Penalties

More consequential in SB1164 is that a person found guilty of running an unlicensed gambling business in Florida would be subject to increased penalties.

Florida has a severe illegal gambling problem, with unlicensed slot “arcades” operating in retail strip malls and shopping centers across the Sunshine State. Penalties for operating unlawful slot machines under the present law call for only misdemeanor consequences, something that’s “not enough of a deterrent” to stop violators from preying on the state’s seniors, says Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Yarborough’s bill proposes increasing the charging schedule from a misdemeanor of the second degree to a felony of the third degree for someone who keeps a gambling house. The proposed heightened charge is for anyone who has direct or indirect control of the illegal gambling business.

Employees are also not immune. While they would remain subject to misdemeanors of the first degree for first-time offenses, the charge would be raised to a felony of the third degree for a second offense, and to a felony of the second degree for subsequent offenses.

Landlords who knowingly lease business space for illegal gambling purposes would be subject to a felony of the third degree for the first offense, and to a felony of the second degree for subsequent violations.

DEI DOA

Regarding other DEI-related conditions of Yarborough’s SB1164, slot licenses in Miami-Dade and Broward counties would no longer be required to give priority to minority vendors and contractors.

Additionally, parimutuel slot facilities would no longer need to place an emphasis on hiring minority workers, nor need to report to the FGCC their minority hiring accomplishments. Eight parimutuel facilities in the two counties possess slot privileges from the FGCC.