Florida Woman Convicted of Fraud Over Las Vegas Sands Casino Initiative

A Florida woman was found guilty of 13 counts of fraud related to a 2021 ballot campaign that would’ve expanded casino gambling throughout the state.

Maria Guadalupe Bautista, 26, was found guilty of personal identification fraud due to her involvement in Las Vegas Sands’ initiative. Although the push eventually failed, Sands poured in nearly $50 million into a political action committee called “Florida Voters in Charge” that aimed to let Florida voters determine the fate of in-state casinos.

Bautista was convicted by a Marion County jury, Ocala-News reported on July 30. 

Questionable circumstances and findings

The Seminole Tribe holds gaming exclusivity in Florida, meaning that it controls all sports betting and casino gaming operations. Las Vegas Sands’ campaign aimed to end the monopoly and allow external operators to enter the state.

Sands later claimed that the Seminoles used crooked approaches to disrupt its initiative, including harassing and intimidating its ballot signature collectors, of which Bautista was one.

However the signature-gathering process went, Sands did not produce enough signatures to get the topic onto the 2022 ballot. Additionally, a significant number of signatures were deemed “questionable” for various reasons, such as coming from deceased persons.

Bautista submitted 191 of the 767 signatures that were deemed questionable, and 16 of which were ultimately confirmed to be fraudulent. Two of the signatures belonged to people who had passed away before the date indicated on the signature form.

Bautista was arrested in August 2023.

Fraud tainted the campaign

While Bautista may have thought that her actions flew under the radar, many officials were aware that the campaign had been tainted by a lack of integrity.

The Marion County Supervisor of Elections said that “widespread fraud” occurred during the signature gathering process. Supervisor of Elections Wesley Wilcox said that he found his and his wife’s names on one of the petitions he was assigned to review.

“This fraud is a way to run around the state’s legislative process and turn Florida’s Constitution into a playground for political gamesmanship, and it’s unacceptable,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a prior statement.

Bautista is expected to receive at least three years of prison time when she is sentenced later this year, based on Florida law.

The Seminoles still hold gaming exclusivity in Florida through a compact with the state. That includes casino gaming and sports betting, which is available on the Hard Rock Bet mobile app through a partnership with the tribe.