Seminole Gambling Compact In Florida May Have To Wait Until March

The man who has already successfully reached an agreement with the Seminole Indians in Florida involving casino gambling, believes there is little chance that lawmakers will have the same success next month.

A special legislative session has been called for next month to try and solve a $2.3 budget deficit. Casino gambling revenue from the Seminole Indians would have helped the budget deficit, but the governor does not believe the timing will be right.

Crist is hoping that a deal can be done, but expects that it will not be until the official legislative session in March begins. It is now up to lawmakers as to when they will again address the issue.

Crist has successfully negotiated a compact with the Seminoles that would have left the budget much less in debt right now, but legislators were upset they were not involved with the decision making process, and had the compact voided by the State Supreme Court.

Now, those same lawmakers are trying to negotiate a deal with the Seminoles, one that will most likely be similar to the one that Crist has already agreed on. In the meantime, the state is losing out on valuable revenue dollars the Seminoles are making by having blackjack and baccarat.

Among the recommendations that Crist submitted on Tuesday was that legislators finalize the compact with the Seminoles.

December 25, 2008
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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