The Seminole Tribe of Florida and the state may eventually go before federal court in order to solve the ongoing dispute over the provision of blackjack in several of the tribe’s casinos.
Under a 2010 agreement between the two parties, the tribe has become the sole provider of blackjack and other card games in the state. Three casinos in Broward County as well as others in Tampa and Immokalee have been offering the games for five years now. The deal between Florida and the Seminole Tribe guaranteed that the latter would contribute more than $1 billion to the state.
However, the agreement is to expire on Friday, July 31. On Monday, Ken Lawson, Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, sent a letter to the tribe’s Chairman to request a meeting between Florida regulators and the Seminoles. At this meeting, tribal officials are expected to inform the state about a timeline within which the blackjack tables would be closed down.
It is important to note that under the current agreement between the two parties, the tribe is supposed to stop the provision of the card games no later than 90 days after the expiration of the deal, unless lawmakers renew it.
Mr. Lawson noted in his letter that the state and the Seminoles are likely to go to court in order to solve the issue, despite the “unprecedented amount of cooperation” they “enjoy.”
In June, James Billie, Tribal Council Chairman of the Seminole Tribe, sent a letter to legislators, saying that they are planning to keep providing blackjack and other card games at their properties even after the expiration date, as Florida had breached the compact when allowing race tracks to feature electronic versions of various card games.
Mr. Billie requested that the state and the tribe meet within 30 days to discuss the matter. However, if the two parties did not reach an agreement, they would probably go to federal court. The tribe promised that it would keep contributing a portion of its revenue to Florida as a “gesture of good faith.”
Last year, it became clear that Gov. Rick Scott wanted an extension of the current deal. Under his terms, the tribe was to be allowed to offer roulette and craps at a number of its casinos in South Florida. Furthermore, the Seminoles were to be given the green light to build a gambling venue in their Fort Pierce reservation.
If Gov. Scott deal had been approved, it would have blocked the opening of Las Vegas-styled casino properties in Miami for a seven-year period. In exchange, the state would have been paid more than $2 billion in revenue. The proposal, however, was strongly opposed by the majority of legislators and was never signed into law.
