Seminole casinos would lose card games in new deal
By Josh Hafenbrack
Tallahassee Bureau
©2009 SunSentinel.com
Friday, March 13, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - A House committee studying the Seminole gambling compact is drafting a new deal that would strip the tribe's authority to operate card games — blackjack and baccarat — at its casinos, Chairman Rep. Bill Galvano said Thursday.

The panel could roll out legislation retooling the 2007 deal negotiated by Gov. Charlie Crist as early as next week, said Galvano, R-Bradenton.

Under the House version, the Seminoles would still have the right to operate Las Vegas-style slot machines at their seven resort facilities.

The Republican-led House, through its Select Committee on Seminole Indian Compact Review, has an "appetite to bring the compact back into the parameters where it should've been, and that's without the card games to begin with," Galvano said.

Galvano acknowledged that tinkering with the 2007 deal could change the financial terms. The Seminoles agreed to give the state $100 million annually for 25 years — but that's partially based on blackjack.

The House committee also is looking at sweeteners for pari-mutuel racetracks, which face high tax burdens and declining revenues.

"Certainly, we're talking about a new negotiation," Galvano said. "At the same time, what is being taken into consideration on the pari-mutuel side, things we can do to create some equity, could ensure that revenues even go up. There's a big picture to balance."

Galvano noted that the tribe would still have the exclusive right to slots outside South Florida, a big draw in Orlando and Tampa markets. "There's a value to the exclusivity of slots," he said.

Jim Allen, chief executive officer for the Seminole Hard Rock resorts, said taking away blackjack would have broad ramifications. About 5,000 jobs, from dealers to cocktail waitresses, are tied to the tribe's table games, he said.

"If we're going to remove pieces of the economic model, everything would have to be revisited," Allen said.

Josh Hafenbrack can be reached at jhafenbrack@SunSentinel.com or 850-224-6214.