Ana Ceballos and Melanie Payne

USA TODAY NETWORK - FLORIDA

Republican Ron DeSantis is receiving big money and support from gambling interests, but he's refusing to discuss specifics about his stand on gaming as he campaigns to become Florida's governor.

DeSantis so far has received more than $800,000 from dog track operators and casino owners, including GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Las Vegas Sands Casino, who also has pursued a Florida destination casino. Adelson, an early DeSantis supporter, serves on his campaign finance committee.

DeSantis’ political inner circle also includes two Tallahassee lobbyists, Scott Ross and Nick Iarossi, whose clients include gambling operators. Some have contributed to DeSantis.

The lobbyists also represent the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, a national group bankrolled by Adelson that seeks to outlaw online betting. DeSantis, who resigned his congressional seat on Sept. 10 to focus on his campaign for governor, used some of the coalition's arguments when raising concerns about Internet gambling in Congress last year.

In Florida, the debate over gambling has fueled decades of political clashes, and the fact that DeSantis is backed by some of the biggest players in gaming raises questions about where he stands on the contentious issue. But he refuses to offer answers to specific questions about gambling.

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At a campaign stop this week, DeSantis declined to answer questions about whether he would support expansion of casino-style gaming or development of destination casino resorts. He refused to answer a general question asking him to outline his stand on gambling issues or what his position is on a proposed constitutional amendment that would require voter approval to expand gaming in Florida.

The proposed Amendment 3, which is on the November ballot, along// with DeSantis’ race for governor against Democrat Andrew Gillum, is strongly opposed by gambling interests who have contributed to his campaign.

“For my company, that’s why we have to date supported Congressman DeSantis,” Isadore Havenick, owner of Naples Fort Myers Greyhound Racing & Poker and Miami's Magic City Casino, said in an interview. “We’re supportive of any candidate coming out against Amendment 3."

Havenick’s Southwest Florida Enterprise has donated $25,000 to the Friends of Ron DeSantis political action committee, and Havenick’s brother Alex has contributed $15,000.

Several hours after refusing to answer a reporter's questions, DeSantis sent a two-sentence statement through his campaign spokesman noting he, too, opposes the amendment.

“I believe that basic policy matters should be resolved via the normal legislative process and not be placed in the constitution,” DeSantis said in the statement.

He offered no details about what proposals a DeSantis administration might support or oppose, but noted he isn't openly promoting gambling.

"Florida must remain a family-friendly state, and I do not advocate for the expansion of gambling," according to his statement.

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Democrat Gillum’s gubernatorial campaign has not received any direct gambling support, and he also has not laid out a platform on gambling policy. Gillum's campaign also did not answer specifics about his stand on gambling.

In 2010, the state struck a deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, which operates six casinos and bingo halls in south Florida, that gave the Seminoles exclusive rights to operate casino card games such as blackjack. The deal also permits the tribe to be the only slot machine operator outside of Broward and Miami-Dade counties.

In exchange for the rights, the Seminoles make payments to the state. Since Gov. Rick Scott took office, the Seminoles have paid the state $1.75 billion under the agreement, Scott announced in an April news release the extension of the tribe agreement through next May.

When the state made the deal in 2010 with the tribe, banked card games were illegal in Florida. The Seminole tribe and Disney have been backing the amendment to require voter approval of expanding gambling in the state.

The new governor and the Legislature will have to consider a number of gambling issues next year, particularly if the amendment requiring voter approval for gaming expansion passes. There are questions about how far the amendment limits gambling, whether deals can be struck with the Seminole tribe or how a separate amendment banning dog racing will free up track owners to pursue other gambling interests.

Among the biggest contributors to the DeSantis campaign are Las Vegas casino-owning billionaires Adelson, Phillip Ruffin and Lorenzo Fertitta. Ruffin and Fertitta donated $50,000 each to the DeSantis PAC in February, and Adelson and his wife, Miriam, each donated $250,000 in late July.

Adelson and his wife each gave DeSantis' campaign $3,000 in May.

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Iarossi's Capital City Consulting lists Adelson’s Sands casino as a client on the firm's website. The lobbying firm also represents several other gambling operations, including Jacksonville Greyhound Racing Park, Melbourne Greyhound Park, Ocala Gainesville Poker & Jai Alai, Ocala Breeders Sales Co. and Elevated LLC, a card room-related business.

The Jacksonville track has contributed $56,000 to DeSantis' campaign and PAC; Melbourne $15,000; and Ocala Breeders, $10,000.

Adelson, aside from his generosity to Republican candidates, has long been involved in Florida's gambling fight. He's advocated development of a destination casino and is backing efforts to block online gambling.

The casino mogul was an early supporter of the incumbent Scott, who, like DeSantis refused to offer specifics about his views on gambling when he first ran for office in 2010. The most Scott would say at the time is he didn't want "our budget to be tied to gaming."

Adelson began pumping millions into Scott's political action committee after he became governor. Days after Scott won in 2010, he traveled on his private plane to Las Vegas to meet with Adelson.

It was also reported that Iarossi was working closely with Scott's team in 2010, even before he took office, to promote Adelson's push for a destination casino in Miami, according to emails obtained in 2013 by WFTV in Orlando.

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DeSantis, as the National Security Subcommittee chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, took aim at online gambling months before he received money from Adelson. He sent a letter in December to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, citing "law enforcement and national security concerns" when asking for documents, insight and other material collected by the Justice Department and the FBI related to online gambling.

"This matter is of particular concern given the Bureau's experience investigating the use of online casinos by terrorists and transnational organized crime organizations, which utilize these forums for money laundering activity," DeSantis wrote in the letter, citing similar arguments made by Adelson and his coalition against online gaming.

Donald Trump, before he ran for president and endorsed DeSantis' gubernatorial bid, also contributed to state campaigns and pushed for a casino in Florida.

Trump hosted fundraisers for Jeb Bush before his 1998 campaign and contributed to the state Republican Party. During a 2015 GOP presidential primary debate, Bush said Trump was pushing party leaders to support a casino, with some reports noting Trump was trying to work a deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida for a resort-style development. Trump denied it.

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Bush, who said in 2015 that he stopped Trump's casino push, was very clear about his opposition to gaming after he became governor.

"I am opposed to casino gambling in this state and I am opposed whether it is on Indian property or otherwise," Bush told the St. Petersburg Times, now Tampa Bay Times, in 1999.

Marc Dunbar, a partner in the Jones Walker law firm in Tallahassee whose practice focuses on gaming, said the state can do better than the current Seminole revenue-sharing model that limits other gambling

“There are lots of economic models that will show Florida will make the money back,” Dunbar said. “We can get all these jobs around the new facilities, but that comes at the price of expanded gambling.”

But Amendment 3's requirement for voter approval on gambling expansion will change the political dynamic in Florida, he said.

“It removes from the Legislature the power they’ve had for more than 100 years and it’s creating a voter control which really is a voter stop on anything in the future,” Dunbar said.