Seminole Tribe Gambling deal rejected by Florida house panel

Recently a special House committee in Florida met to discuss the new agreement between the Seminole Tribe and governor Charlie Crist. The new agreement would have seen the Tribe expand gambling at their casinos in Florida. This of course brings into question the Tribe offering blackjack.

The Tribe has stated that blackjack and other banked card games are legal for them to offer but Representative Bill Galvano says the table games are being operated illegally. It now seems it may be impossible for the two sides to work out a deal.

This past vote on the issue was the latest in the dealings between the state and the Tribe. The two have been going back and forth for years and cannot seem to come to an agreement. Galvano has stated that he is still optimistic that they can work something out with the tribe.

Governor Crist stated that he agrees with Galvano that the decision does not represent a line in the sand. He commented: “We obviously have a long way to go before the end of session, so there is plenty of time for the Florida Legislature to approve a plan that would direct billions of dollars to Florida schools for years to come.”

2010-01-21