A federal judge has set an official date for the beginning of a two-week trial that will determine whether the Seminole Tribe of Florida can continue offering blackjack and other banked card games at its casinos around the state.
Last week, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle dismissed a request from Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to end the case and announced a date for the trial earlier this week.
The legal dispute between the tribe and the state of Florida stems from a five-year gambling compact the involved parties signed in 2010. As part of the agreement, the Seminole Tribe was given the exclusive right to provide blackjack and several other banked card games at venues around the state. The compact expired in the summer of 2015 and the Seminoles had 90 more days to stop offering the games.
In October, tribal officials filed a lawsuit in a Tallahassee federal court, arguing that the state had negotiated a potential new gambling deal in “bad faith” and asking the federal judge to allow the tribe to keep on offering blackjack at its casinos. The state then filed its own lawsuit in Tampa, claiming that the casinos should no longer offer banked card games.
Under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, all states need to negotiate the terms of gambling compacts with tribes in good faith. Florida officials, however, argued that the federal law only applies when initial agreements are negotiated.
Judge Hinkle said that the state’s contention was “plainly wrong” and that states are expected to both negotiate a new deal or renegotiate and existing one as a given compact is nearing its end.
Despite the legal dispute, Florida Gov. Rick Scott and tribal officials announced in December that they had reached an agreement, under the terms of which the tribe would be allowed to add table games such as roulette and craps at its casinos, if it pays the amount of $3 billion to the state in the next seven years.
The agreement still needs to be authorized by the state Legislature. However, lawmakers noted that certain changes need to be implemented for the proposed deal to be approved eventually. The compact is to be discussed by a Senate committee next week.
