Seminole-Florida Gambling Compact Once Again Under Fire

Gambling News - October 23rd, 2009 - Written by Glen

Just when Floridians thought that the matter was put to rest, the Seminole Tribe and the State of Florida are once again battling over the gaming compact that should have been finalized months ago.

Florida's legislators, including Governor Crist, had spent most of the summer trying to work out a deal that would be beneficial to both parties. While the Gambling compact had been reworked, and both parties seemed to be pleased, the issue has once again come up for debate.

Crist pushed for a special session in October, though this never came to fruition. Another special session has been requested by Crist, this time for the month of December, but this too looks like a request in vein. The power struggle between the state and the Seminoles seems to have an end on a distant horizon - or at least until the Federal government gets involved.

Legislators are asking that, in place of a special discussion session, the National Indian Gaming Commission shut down the Seminole casinos. Some legislators are demanding the shut down in compliance with current laws, though the issue is truly a grey area.

Involving the NGIC is a dangerous risk for both sides. A total shut down would prove harmful to both the state and the Seminoles, as neither would see profits from gaming. Should the NGIC rule in favor of the Seminoles, they will be able to amass gambling revenues while kicking nothing back to the state. Both parties had come to compromises to agree on the current form of the compact, that legislators later rejected, but it seems that the political battle has run its course, and now both parties are refusing to give yet another inch of grounding.

As of now, the state deems the banked table games, such as blackjack, hosted in the casinos are illegal. The Seminoles continue to operate this reportedly illegal games, and they have no intent on shutting down until the compact is final, thus causing a bigger snag in the line.

The stakes are high, and both parties could draw dead if an accord is not met. Interdiction by any federal body, be it the NGIC or the federal courts, could lead both parties to ruin. This issue, as with many others such as Online Gambling, is truly one for a compromise - stubbornness could lead to ruin on all accounts.

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