Governor Crist And Seminole Tribe Strike Up Gambling Talks Again

The Seminole Indians and Governor Charlie Crist have been down this road before. On Wednesday the two parties met again to try and reconfigure their gambling compact from a few years ago. The two sides hope to have a resolution on the issue soon.

Crist and the Seminoles had successfully negotiated the compact that would have brought table games and Vegas style slots to Seminole casinos. Legislators, however, blocked the compact, claiming that Crist did not have the authority to negotiate it.

Now, a couple of years down the road, and legislators have signed off on the parameters of a new deal. It is the Seminoles that have been slow to bite this time around, but they went back to the negotiating table in hopes of working out their differences with the legislative plan.

"The tribe is extremely professional and I believe they will work in good faith to get something done," said attorney George LeMieux, as reported in the Miami Herald, "as opposed to failing to reach an agreement."

The Seminoles feel that the legislative plan calls for them to give too much money annually to the state. They also would like more exclusivity to table games. Right now, the state is offering exclusivity only in Broward and Hillsborough counties.

Crist and the tribe negotiated well the first time around and the gap between them seems to be close enough that many experts believe that they will get the deal done. The deadline for the deal to be signed is August 31st, set by the Bill that legislators passed this past session.

July 2, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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