Will state, tribe take a gamble?
Florida has just days to reach a deal with the Seminoles.
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published August 17, 2007
HOLLYWOOD - At the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, slot machines chime and poker chips click, but calls for bets on blackjack and other Las Vegas-style games could join the din soon.
Gov. Charlie Crist has until Tuesday to reach an agreement with the state's Seminole Tribe on the addition of Las Vegas-style games to its casinos - a deal that could allow the state to get millions in tax revenue from the tribe's profits.
Otherwise, the federal government can step in and allow the tribe to offer the games without the state's getting anything. Under either scenario, the state's gambling cruises and struggling racetracks and jai-alai frontons could take a major hit as gamblers flock to the tribal casinos.
"Like any negotiation, they're basically trying to hammer out a contract. Both sides have something the other side wants," said David Schwartz, director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Florida wants some of the money the Seminole Tribe will rake in if it brings games such as blackjack and roulette to its casinos. In return, the tribe is probably seeking a guarantee that the state won't allow private casinos or tracks and jai-alai frontons to offer the same games.
That exclusivity would be a huge benefit for the Seminoles, Schwartz said.
Ralph Haben, a lobbyist for the day cruise industry, said his clients are waiting to see what the governor does.
"There are only so many gambling dollars available," Haben said. "They are concerned. They are greatly concerned because it's competition."
Racetracks could have a hard time competing with tribal casinos, too.
Mike Mullaney, a spokesman for Gulfstream Park racetrack in Hallandale Beach, said the track would ask for the playing field to be leveled in some way. That could mean asking for simulcast betting, which is currently heavily restricted in the state, or for a reduction in the amount the track pays the state, Mullaney said.