Florida Legislature May Continue Blackjack at Seminole Casinos
House officials moved off their proposed rollback of permitted gambling to suggest they could approve retaining blackjack at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Casino and the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino.
The two widely diverse plans for Florida gaming from the state House and Senate are undergoing negotiations to reach a single compromise, and an early return is the acceptance of blackjack at at least some of the Seminole casinos. House officials moved off their proposed rollback of permitted gambling to suggest they could approve retaining blackjack at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Casino and the Seminole Coconut Creek Casino.
The Senate plan went beyond Governor Charlie Crist’s would-be compact with the tribe, bringing blackjack and expanded poker throughout the state and giving exclusives on craps and roulette to the Seminoles. But the House measure was far more conservative, withdrawing blackjack even at Seminole casinos where it has been played for over a year.
The new proposal would allow the tribe exclusive blackjack in Broward County, where racinos compete with tribal Class III slot machines. Blackjack would be forbidden elsewhere, but the Class III slots would be allowed only to Seminole casinos outside Broward, giving the tribe a major exclusive everywhere it operates.In return, the Seminoles would pay $200 million annually.
Crist solved a gaming crisis about to explode when he took office, but legislators successfully sued to block the compact because they weren’t consulted. Now the governor reminds lawmakers of the severe budget deficit the state faces.
“If it (a gambling agreement) doesn’t happen, you know, I may have to cut things out of this budget that are put in there,” said Crist. “There are important things they (legislators) want to do around the state. In some ways the Seminole compact money gives us the opportunity to do those things.”
Asked if his words were meant as a threat to state officials, Crist replied, “Please don’t characterize it that way. It’s not. It’s just reality.”
June 25 2009 11:27 am | Uncategorized
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