Florida, Seminole tribe reach sweeping gambling deal; Gov. Scott says it’s

Gov. Rick Scott has reached a $3 billion gambling revenue sharing agreement with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

In a letter, Scott asked the state Legislature to approve the new deal, which increases Florida’s cut of the tribe’s gambling revenue to $3 billion from the $1 billion guarantee of the previous compact. By giving the Seminoles sole rights to blackjack, the state was guaranteed $1 billion.

The Seminoles also will be allowed to open blackjack facilities at all seven of the tribe’s reservations – including the Brighton reservation in Glades County near Lake Okeechobee.

The new compact has been quietly negotiated for months. In addition, under the terms of the new deal, South Florida racinos would be given the chance to request votes on whether they should be allowed to feature limited blackjack tables.

“The Seminole Tribe of Florida salutes Governor Scott for his leadership in working with members of the Senate and the House to finalize this important Compact for our 4,000 Seminole Tribal members and for all Floridians”, Billie wrote in a statement.

The agreement also would allow a track in Palm Beach County to add slot machines. The max number of table games at any given Seminole casino will be 300, but the tribe must average at 150 table games across its seven facilities, reported sun-sentinel.com.

Five years ago, the state and the tribe first reached a deal to allow blackjack and other types of card games to be set up in the tribe’s casinos.

The $3 billion the tribe would kick in would be spread over a seven-year period starting in 2017. With the agreement in hand, the state and the tribe can now drop their lawsuits. Some Republicans and legislators from Central Florida remain opposed to expanded gambling, fearful of its potential impact on tourist destinations such as Disney World.

Discussions at one point included talk of allowing the Seminoles to build a casino on land the tribe owns near Fort Pierce. The proposed deal would have also likely blocked the construction of any Las Vegas-style casinos in Miami for the next seven years.

State House Democrats, whose support Scott may need for the pact to become law, have said in the past that they wouldn’t back a compact unless it includes additional games for pari-mutuels in Broward and Miami-Dade counties and slot machines for the kennel club. He called it a “good transaction for the taxpayers of this state”.

“I think it’s a recognition that as the legislation moves through the process, there are going to be lots of voices that are going to be heard in the Legislature”, Bradley said.