Deadline Arrives For Seminole Gambling Compact In Florida

The Seminole Indians and the state of Florida have been negotiating gambling compacts for over two years now. The deadline to complete a compact this time around has arrived, and later today everyone will find out if a deal has been done.

It was reported on Saturday that a deal between Governor Charlie Crist and the Seminoles was complete. Part of the deal, however, had the Seminoles turning away several key parts that state legislators wanted in the compact.

That leaves Crist and the Seminoles to wonder whether or not the legislators will approve the new compact. Representative Bill Galvano has said that lawmakers would not deviate far from the plan that they sent to the negotiating table.

"If the Seminoles and Crist did something to severely change the parameters that the legislature agrred upon, it will have been wasted time on both their parts," said observer Mark Cambpell, "But we are all hoping that is not the case and the deal is complete."

Of course, the Seminoles and Crist have different views from state lawmakers. The governor had already signed a compact with the Seminoles back in 2007, only to have the state Supreme Court void the deal, claiming that the governor did not have the authority to negotiate that deal on his own.

This time around, lawmakers approved Crist' negotiations with the Seminoles, but there have been several sticking points. The Seminoles feel they are paying too much money to the state, and the state does not want the Seminoles to have exclusivity of table games.

The issues appeared to have been worked out by late Saturday, and later today the deal should be announced.

August 30, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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